War Rhetoric Raises Questions of Leadership

All over the media, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice are justifying an invasion of Iraq because Iraq has “weapons of mass destruction,” but our brave and loyal soldiers shouldn’t risk having their blood spilled over four little words.

The phrase has been repeated so many times--with no explanation of what those weapons are and how they pose a threat to U.S. citizens--it seems that the Bush administration believes if it simply repeats something enough (like the word “evil”), sooner or later the people will simply believe it to be true. Iraq has yet to be tied in any way to Sept. 11. Would Bush have invaded Iraq, unprovoked, before Sept. 11? Of course not. I don’t care what the polls say, hollow rhetoric meant to scare and anger the population does not a leader make.

Chris McCann

Los Angeles