Was Deposing Hussein Part of a ‘Great Game’?

Re “The U.S. Winked at Hussein’s Evil,” Commentary, Dec. 30: Robert Scheer is absolutely correct in that the U.S. was assisting Saddam Hussein in the early years. However, the United States was attempting to address what was perceived to be a more dangerous situation at that time.

You cannot fault or blame someone for doing what was thought to be the right thing. If so, are we to punish all the mothers and fathers who spawned all the monstrous individuals among us, even when all they were doing was raising their children as best they could?

It behooves all of us, when we recognize the mistakes we make, to correct them as much as possible. The U.S. did so when it took out Hussein. God bless the USA.

Steven Klotzsche

Los Angeles

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Scheer’s right. It wasn’t Hussein who changed; it was us. He always was what he is. We’re the ones with the Machiavellian schizophrenia. Does the Medicare drug benefit cover that?

Marty Schoen

Pasadena

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The U.S. cannot demonize Hussein for stashing, allegedly, $40 billion in foreign bank accounts (Dec. 30). Our government knew that illegal oil sales were being made to Turkey and Jordan. We did nothing about it and therefore were accomplices to the theft.

The U.S. took the political route. It protected two important allies while it winked at the oil sales. The U.S. also overlooked the illegal trade between Turkey and Iraq while United Nations sanctions were in place.

Robert Pisapia

Westlake Village

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Re “The Iraq Dilemma: Do It Right or Quick?” news analysis, Dec. 28: Here’s a thought: Don’t do it at all. The cost is too high. Here’s a better question: Was arresting Hussein and deposing his government worth more than 500 American and allied dead, 10,000 wounded and medical evacuees, no one knows how many Iraqi civilians dead and injured and how many hundreds of billions of dollars?

Here is one honorably discharged, white, male, heterosexual, married-with-children, home-owning American veteran with a marginally middle-class job who says no; perhaps those who say yes should volunteer for the crusade. Their attitudes might change, of course, when faced by the reality of 22 million Iraqis who would rather not have the Bush administration pick their next dictator for them.

I can only hope that those “white males” you reported on in Sunday’s paper as backing this absurd excursion into “the Great Game” will be at the top of the list when the draft comes back after the November election. Perhaps then they’ll learn something about trusting in think-tank commandos, propagandists and right-wing elitists who can’t be bothered to send their own children off to war but, as always, will fight to the last drop of blood of someone else’s.

War is a racket, trade follows the flag, and there are plenty of dragons here at home to slay. Bring the troops home now.

Brad Smith

Los Angeles