Bush's war is diverting us from the real issues at hand

Dear editor:

Those who think we need to stay in Iraq, need to do some time in the trenches themselves. "We." Who is "We?"

It's easy to proclaim what "we" should do, from the comfort of the White House, the Congress, from an air conditioned office or a coffee shop. It's even easier, if you've never had to do it, somebody ELSE does.

I was a Marine in Vietnam, and let me tell you would-be-Republicans out there that up-in-your-face combat isn't some Nintendo game. When the bullets are real, grenades, mortars, rockets, booby traps, when the stench of death is everywhere, you'd better be doing this for "mom's apple pie." Vietnam wasn't and neither is this.

9/11 and Osama Bin Laden. Bush doesn't seem to be able to connect the two, or this might have been over by now. We've got no business in Iraq. Even if Bush DIDN'T lie to us, and was given "faulty information," he's known it NOW for a long time, so why are we STILL in Iraq?

Oh, goodness yes, they've had a free election now and democracy is coming to an unstable region. You bet.

Once we leave, if we ever do, it won't be long until they're butchering each other again, as they have since time began.

"Well, there hasn't been another attack on our shores since Bush's War on Terrorism was eatablished," you might reply.

Bush's "War on Terrorism" hasn't included SEALING our borders. Those 12 million illegals, are they all Mexicans? Are you sure? Knowing that border patrol agents are tossed into prison for doing their jobs, TOO, well, if you were a terrorist looking to set up cells in the U.S., how would YOU come in? You'd walk right on across, right behind Pancho, Pedro and Octavio. Arabs are dark skinned too, so who could tell the difference at 200 yards?

Can't use the National Guard to help out down there, they're tied up in Iraq, too. If things break out in this country, it'll be up to us to defend our homes and neighborhoods, with the guns the Democrats don't want us to have.

Bush is so intent on taking care of everyone else at the cost of our troops, he doesn't see the tiles of our own roof coming off. He, and John McCain, too, have alienated so many REAL Republicans, we're going to turn this country over to the likes of Hillary or Obama next year. Nice legacy, George, ya done good!

How some of you out there can continue to back this clown, baffles me to no end. The GOP once stood for everything that was good in America, but Reagan is gone now, and so apparently, are our scruples. Today, we just walk into the booth and do like the Democrats. Straight ticket, no matter WHO it is, eh?

I WILL back you Bush supporters on one thing, though. This war ISN'T about oil. I filled up yesterday morning. It ain't about oil, because we ain't getting a bit of it!

Mike Bradbury