Did Biden blunder?

Re “Biden says Israel free to strike Iran,” July 6

In response to Israel’s increased threat of initiating an attack on Iran, Vice President Joe Biden defended our major Middle East ally’s “right” by claiming that the U.S. “cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do.”

As austere as this pronouncement is, Biden couldn’t possibly have meant it; he must have intended it as a joke.

There’s no way that he, for example, thinks that it’s the right of the “sovereign nation” of Iran to bomb Israel or that it’s the right of the “sovereign nation” of North Korea to bomb the United States.

Matthew A. Cucchiaro

Los Angeles

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Biden’s comments, assuming that they reflect the policy of a unified Obama administration and not his propensity to “shoot from the hip,” reflect a schizophrenic attitude in our foreign policy, not only toward Israel but toward much of the world.

He states that Israel is free to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, followed by a statement that we are open and willing to negotiate with Iran regarding its nuclear program.

The jingoistic statement of the former negates the latter.

Russell Blinick

Encino

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For the Obama administration to say that Israel is free to strike Iran preemptively is to say that the U.S. will be there if Iran strikes back.

Where is the logic? Didn’t we learn that a preemptive strike is not the best defense?

When did it make sense to spend the lives of thousands of young Americans in retaliation for the 3,000 killed on 9/11?

Saddam Hussein could never have hurt us and would very likely be dead by now anyway. What has happened to Yankee Doodle smarts?

Phil Wilt

Van Nuys