Bush’s response to war critics falls short

Re “Bush Invokes Military Mother to Defend War,” Aug. 25

I am confused by President Bush’s comment that “America lives in freedom because of families like the Pruetts” [whose four sons are serving in Iraq]. Because he sent American troops to Iraq, I now live in freedom?

Also puzzling is his remark that “[Cindy] Sheehan’s views did not reflect the feelings of most military families he had met.” Maybe if he met with Sheehan he would hear that military families, whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice, oppose this war.

HELEN TACKETT

Fullerton

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As we dwell in disagreement about our continued presence in Iraq, we are poisoning the convictions of our president and our soldiers, and this divisiveness leaves us vulnerable to a more unified enemy whose unrelenting strength lies in the disregard of its own life.

Sitting on the fence in disagreement is not a solution to unifying our country. I commend the mother who is actively pursuing an answer by putting her feelings into action.

KARA FRAZIER

Trabuco Canyon

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With all due respect to Margaret Carlson’s mostly accurate assessment of Bush’s parent problem (Opinion, Aug. 25), his real problem is that, as a parent, he somehow expects other parents to sacrifice their children for this war without offering up his own ageappropriate, able-bodied children. If he believes this war is such a noble cause, surely his children should have been first in line to be sacrificed.

SARA R. NICHOLS

Los Angeles