Preferred Iraq policy: Pull out

Re “Bush warns against pullout,” Nov. 14

I question the Bush administration’s assertion that withdrawing our troops from Iraq on a timetable would embolden the insurgents in Iraq. Because the Bushies have been wrong on every other prediction they have made, my gut tells me they are also wrong on this one. I believe that if in truth the insurgents thought that we were finally leaving, it would have a calming effect on the hostilities.

KIM PAGE

Los Angeles

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President Bush cautioned against talking to Syria and Iran about the situation in Iraq and stated he will not begin withdrawing U.S. troops -- but again declared he is open to new ideas about how to get out of the quagmire he created. During the Vietnam War, Sen. George Aiken (R-Vt.) suggested that President Johnson declare victory and leave. Bush might consider that.

RALPH S. BRAX

Lancaster

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Re “Top Democrats want to begin Iraq pullout,” Nov. 13

From what I have gathered, “pullout” seems to be the wrong choice of words. I think “bug-out” would be far more appropriate to what they have in mind.

FRED JOHNSON

San Marino

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Re “Parties inch closer to new policy in Iraq,” Nov. 11

It’s important to remember that while Republican legislators have been almost monolithic in their refusal to consider changing course, those on the other side of the aisle who’ve spoken out repeatedly against U.S. policy in Iraq have been almost as frustrated by leaders of their own party. War takes public attention off pressing problems like education, healthcare and the environment -- expensive and complicated issues that neither party seems to want to tackle.

The “we broke it, now we have to fix it” rationale simply doesn’t hold water. We owe the people of Iraq an almost unimaginable debt, but getting out now and letting the healing begin ought to be our top priority.

JON WILLIAMS

Santa Barbara

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Can merely adding or subtracting U.S. troops dim the bloody tide in Iraq? Even many neoconservatives now admit their fantasy of a unified Iraq as a model democracy is a failure. Instead, what’s needed is a change in mission like that sought by Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) -- namely, three independent states governing themselves.

The Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites are far more concerned for their own people than for the Iraq abstraction. Given their own states, they’d be motivated to rebuild rather than undermine infrastructure. Allocating oil fields around Basra to Shiites, Mosul to Sunnis and Kirkuk to Kurds gives each state an economic base. Rather than patrolling every square mile of Iraq, the U.S. role would be to enforce the new borders, a task requiring significantly fewer U.S. troops.

HOWARD S. HURLBUT

Redlands