Fall of Baghdad Doesn’t Compare to Berlin Wall

Re “Bush Talk to Troops Recalls Fall of Baghdad,” April 13: The idea that President Bush would equate the war in Iraq with the fall of the Berlin Wall just shows how ignorant he really is. The Berlin Wall was brought down by the citizens of those European countries who had lived under communism. The fall of Saddam Hussein was brought about by Bush’s illegal initiation of a war.

Jethro Singer

Santa Monica

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The president declared, “The toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad will be recorded, alongside the fall of the Berlin Wall, as one of the great moments in the history of liberty.” Actually, it will be recorded as one of the great moments of propaganda. How could The Times fail to point out that the toppling of the statue was a staged event, conducted by U.S. personnel, with tight camera angles to falsely suggest large numbers of Iraqis present. The BBC reported that “dozens” of Iraqis were involved. A Reuters wide-angle photograph of Firdos Square clearly shows the area sealed off by the U.S. military.

John Weinell

Dana Point