President Plays by Intuition

Re “Accountability at Issue in Abuse of Prisoners,” May 5: So President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claim to have not seen the photos of atrocities against the Iraqi captives until they were displayed on “60 Minutes II”? Am I to believe that Bush, who claims to be the better protector of our safety, was this misinformed? Either “the Three Stooges” are lying to us (and the Congress) or they are profoundly incompetent.

My guess is that they thought they could keep this disaster from the public (and Congress) until after the election -- or to cover up their own complicity. Withholding vital information from Congress (withholding is no different than lying) is an impeachable offense. Forgive my reference to Bush, Cheney and Rummy as the Three Stooges. I loved and respected the Three Stooges.

Stuart J. Faber

Los Angeles

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Bush is right to be disgusted by the treatment of the Iraqi prisoners by some of our military. It’s too bad he doesn’t realize that he set the stage by branding entire peoples as evil, a dehumanizing accusation that strips people of their right of simple identity, the right to have unique beliefs and social systems. Bush disdains science, is ignorant of history and turns Christianity -- a glorious religion founded on love and compassion -- into a trailer-trash mentality of hate and ignorance. Bush is dragging our country down into the depths of his intolerance and mind-boggling incompetence.

Henry Harris

Pasadena

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Re “Books Depict Bush as Instinct-Driven Leader,” May 3:

Bush has claimed that he sought advice “from a higher Father” when asked if he consulted his own father concerning Iraq. He added that if he was wrong he would “seek forgiveness.” I’d like to know just how many American kids need to die in his war before that mule-headedness is replaced by penance.

Alan Remington

Costa Mesa

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Instincts are natural, and we all have them, even presidents. But we distinguish ourselves from other species by our ability to use our brains and process information. As former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill pointed out, describing a haphazard discussion at a Bush administration meeting: “Without the hard, factual analysis that allows you to make informed judgments about the worth of various proposals, that’s about what you can expect.”

Bush, who calls himself “the education president,” has made clear his aversion to extended inquiry, reading, information, introspection and the opinions of others. Gut instinct may indeed prevail sometimes, but I would rather follow a leader into battle who had considered all the evidence before making a decision to risk the lives of his troops.

Ina Mozer

La Mesa

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Where was the staff work? Just what do Condoleezza Rice and the national security staff do? The most elemental question this staff might have analyzed was on the adequacy of the postwar plans prepared by the Defense Department. An obvious task would have been to investigate the huge differences between the State and Defense departments concerning postwar reconstruction.

Paul A. Myers

Pomona

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Bush is out campaigning at the same time that men and women are dying and being maimed on a daily basis. We seem to be losing the war in Iraq, and our reputation in the world is the lowest ever. Add to that the reports that are now being made public about the abuses of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners.

Isn’t it the president’s responsibility to make sure that the world sees the United States in a better light? Campaigning shouldn’t be the order of business at this crucial time.

Jan Mellman

Los Angeles