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Baghdad Government Is a Work in Progress

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Re “Still No New Government in Iraq as Talks Postponed,” March 14: President Bush’s dream of a friendly, puppet government in Iraq is just that, a dream. The recent election was to pacify the largest ethnic group, the Shiites. The Kurds went along because they’ve always been, for whatever reason, our loyal supporters. The Sunnis see themselves as excluded from the process, hence the continued insurrection.

These are the three main groups, and representatives from these groups must be allowed to partition the country into three autonomous, essentially self-governing regions.

The Kurds, being more secular/rational, as opposed to sectarian/emotional, have the only real chance at a democracy. Which, ironically, could work to Bush’s benefit if the Kurd region contains Kirkuk. The Kurds would certainly be willing exporters of the region’s oil. Not exactly what Bush had in mind, but certainly better than nothing.

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Once each group becomes self-governing, reason, hopefully, will prevail and the fighting and bloodletting will stop and we can leave.

We would still have the huge obligation to repair the devastation that we caused. We can never erase the grief of more than 100,000 Iraqi and 1,500 American lives lost because of our tragic misadventure, but at least we can try to stop the ongoing bloody anarchy.

Richard Parr

Santa Monica

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Wow! A whole 45 days after the Iraqi election and what, no government? I’m outraged. Never mind that it took nine years for our own Constitution to be fully ratified after the end of our revolution. Never mind that it took Germany 10 years to form its government post-World War II. Who are you or anybody else to criticize how long the Iraqis take to form their own government?

The Times’ position on the war is wrong. We are successful, and democracy is spreading like never before through the Middle East. Our policy is bearing fruit, which the liberals at The Times can’t stand to see.

Marc Atkinson

Simi Valley

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After reading the piece on the massive and surreal criminal waste of funds in Iraq, I have but one (admittedly rhetorical) question. As the Average Joe in Anytown U.S.A. who is struggling harder and harder to support his family learns of this debacle, then why are we as a nation not marching en masse on the White House? Republicans and Democrats alike should be deeply ashamed.

Our nation has been hijacked by terrorists wearing fancy suits and tiny American flag lapel pins, and we sit watching it all on television as we comfort ourselves with snack food.

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Philip DiGiacomo

Pacific Palisades

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The March 12 article about fraud and chaos in the rebuilding of Iraq was disquieting. As long as the media are not allowed to cover the actual war, I suppose those “unembedded” media should just stick around Baghdad and file stories like this one. They are important.

Congress voted huge sums for the rebuilding of Iraq’s infrastructure, not swimming pools for fraudulent, inept and greedy carpetbaggers.

To my knowledge, Iraq still doesn’t have regular electricity or water service. Could it be that all the money is going somewhere else?

Rowland Scherman

Orleans, Mass.

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