Quagmire in Iraq Calls for Leadership

Last year the war in Iraq was halted prematurely, for the second time in a dozen years. And again we are paying a dear price for political irresolution. Trying to win the hearts and minds of heartless, mindless fanatics is folly. We sorely need a President Truman and a Gen. George Patton. Either go in and get the job done or get out.

Robert Bartow

Calabasas

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Iraq is a culture clash: one culture trying to impose its ideals and customs on another. Liberate them and they will come ... over to your side. Be the good guy who’s getting rid of the bad guy. It’s my way or the highway. You’re with us or against us.

It all sounded good in theory. But when the government is gone, you don’t have a plan and things don’t go according to Hoyle, then you’re toast.

Robert Bubnovich

Irvine

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Now might be a good time to consider a plebiscite for Iraq to see if the three contending peoples (Shiite, Sunni, Kurd) would prefer a separation of the country into three independent states. The oil-reserves-ownership issue could be solved by the formation of a tripartite consortium. This would avoid the possible nationalistic bloodshed, and the separate three would present less of a threat to Israel. Iraq was arbitrarily stitched together after World War I. Historically, artificial national boundaries have seldom held for long: Czech-Slovakia, the USSR, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, etc.

Stephen J. Halasz

Desert Hot Springs

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We are finally succeeding in unifying Iraq. We got the Sunnis and Shiites to fight together against us.

Anita Rivero

Downey