Iraq was never ours to win

Re “Battle of the brass,” editorial, March 13

Although you placed the phrase “losing Iraq” in quotes, that does not mitigate the harm that such a perception perpetuates. The U.S. won the war in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was defeated, but we lost the peace shortly thereafter when the geniuses advising President Bush failed to anticipate the inevitable tension that would arise between Sunni and Shiite when Hussein’s repression was lifted.

It was that simple omission, coupled with the hubris associated with thinking American occupiers would be seen as saviors, that have led to everything else, and so it is incorrect and unfair to refer to “losing Iraq” because it was never ours to win.

Raymond J. Melrose

Los Angeles