Kerry’s Exit Plan Is Too Reliant on Others

Re “Kerry Sketches an Iraq Exit Plan,” Aug. 3: Well duh. Sen. John Kerry says his goal is to replace most U.S. troops stationed in Iraq with foreign forces, and that he is more qualified to conduct international diplomacy than President Bush. Let’s see -- there are still no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq, the place is a mess (to put it mildly), and our young men and women are being killed on a weekly basis. I guess because Kerry flip-flops, he automatically assumes everybody else will do the same.

The last I heard, the non-coalition countries were all adamant they wanted no part of the Iraq debacle. Is Kerry that arrogant to assume that just because he’s in charge, the non-coalition countries will come running to Iraq to sacrifice their own sons? Er, pardon my pointing this out, Sen. Kerry, but allow me to give you a lesson in International Diplomacy 101: You don’t win international support by publicly committing the troops of other countries to Iraq without their prior consent.

Rose-Marie Robinson

Newbury Park

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Bush said that “knowing what I know today, we still would have gone on into Iraq” (Aug. 3). If Bush had attended the funerals of the 900-plus American men and women killed in Iraq, I can say with 100% certainty that he would not be uttering such coldhearted remarks.

Rex Allen

Costa Mesa