Bush’s Words of War Come Under Attack

On Wednesday President Bush said: “I know what I’m doing when it comes to winning this war, and I’m not going to be sending mixed signals.” Exactly what was “Mission Accomplished,” if not a mixed signal? What about WMD? What about the imminent threat from Iraq? What about the new Iraqi government hamstrung by the 100 rules issued by L. Paul Bremmer III? What about the U.S. soldiers dying every week? That’s a mixed bag of mixed signals.

Reba Klockgether

Fullerton

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Isn’t it incredibly convenient that the U.S. is finally finding all these Al Qaeda operatives almost three years after 9/11? With the exception of our brief foray into Afghanistan, we’ve been focusing our energies on the wrong country and the wrong terrorists. Well, now with the election a couple of months away, when do you think they’ll find Osama bin Laden? Oct. 31?

A.A. Schwab

Los Angeles

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Re “Army Turns to Private Guards,” Aug. 12: Am I the only one who finds it ironic, indefensible and laughable that the government is spending billions of dollars to hire private security people to protect the Army? Ahhh ... isn’t defense sort of ... ahhh ... the Army’s primary function? What’s next? More billions to hire guards to protect the guards?

Darron Sayre

Calabasas

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Forty years ago, when I did my service in the U.S. Army, our bases were guarded by military policemen. After 1980, Republicans realized that a lot of money was to be made from civilian contracts, and the number of MPs was reduced. I go through Ft. Hunter Liggett on a trip to the Big Sur coast, and the gates are run by rent-a-cops, while our generals in Iraq bemoan the fact we don’t have enough MPs there. Privatizing base security is a bad idea, for both the potential for abuse and weakening of security.

Clement Salvadori

Atascadero