Clinton must share responsibility

Re “The antiwar shuffle,” editorial, Jan. 18

The Times sees Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) newfound opposition to the Iraq war as “a positive development” because voters would have to choose between her and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) “on other grounds.” This assumes that voters will forget that during the rush to war, when history was calling for bold voices of opposition, Clinton endorsed one of the greatest follies in U.S. history. Her vote was clearly made with future political ambitions in mind. Well, the future is now, and her “scrambling to get on what her party’s primary voters deem the right side of history” is as unseemly and offensive as the daily headlines out of Iraq.

ROCKY PETRALIA

Westwood

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As I watch the new crop of presidential hopefuls struggle to get on the “right side of history” regarding Iraq, I am filled with rage and despair over the useless death and destruction that the United States has sown there. There were 156 members of Congress who had the courage and the intelligence to stand up to an obviously incompetent president and refuse to authorize the invasion of Iraq. The others, including Clinton, now must share responsibility for the unimaginable suffering and the tragic consequences of this war. Their misguided votes must not be forgotten as we begin the long process of choosing a president.

SUZANNE MASTROIANNI

Hemet