Prepare for Iraq outcome

Re “U.S. criticism draws a blunt Iraqi retort,” Aug. 23

So Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has told America he can “find friends elsewhere.” This just after President Bush referred to him as “a good guy” and long after thousands of our soldiers have died fighting for Iraq. Bush now says that if the Iraqi government doesn’t respond to the demands of the Iraqi people, “they will replace the government.” I don’t think so. Maliki’s Cabinet is falling apart. And now, Maliki is cozying up to Syria and Iran. Both of those countries are demanding that Iraq set a timetable for U.S. forces to withdraw. Gee, I wonder why.

Analysts have speculated that “the administration was preparing the American public for a disappointing report next month on progress in Iraq.” Well, prepare us all you want, but the bottom line is still going to be the same: failure on almost every level.

Daniel V. Shannon

Winnetka

Re “General, spy report raise Iraq stakes,” Aug. 24

So, “Maliki is unable to govern his country effectively and the political situation is likely to become even more precarious in the next six to 12 months.” Who says the Iraqis should have a better government than we do?

Ronna Siegel

Van Nuys

Re “Next stop: Ho Chi Minh City,” Opinion, Aug. 24

It would be easy to read Rosa Brook’s tongue-in-cheek missive about our president’s latest attempt to justify Iraq and chuckle. Convoluting the lessons of Vietnam to mean that we should stay the course in Iraq should be laughable. However, I am not laughing. I am alarmed. Bush appears to be drowning in this Middle East morass. And, just like a drowning man, he is “grasping at straws.”

Bush needs to be rescued from this mess before he completely drowns our military and our finances. He is endangering the fundamental security of our country. We can’t stand by and hope that a new president will do better. It has been obvious for some time that this president can’t swim in these waters. Someone needs to remove him from the lake immediately.

Gene Menzies

Rodeo, Calif.

Doesn’t Brooks realize that the disaster in Vietnam and Cambodia was the loss of several million lives after we abruptly left? It’s not a question of whether we should we have gone into Vietnam or Iraq, but how we leave. History tells what can happen if America shows resolve and makes clear that we are not going to leave our friends high and dry. A good example of carrying out our responsibility the right way is South Korea, where we still have a significant presence in a prosperous country.

Eric Piper

Corona del Mar