Letter: Bush’s obsession is not worth war’s steep price

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2004 | 8:41 a.m.

When Saddam Hussein was captured, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., the Democrat in Name Only candidate, quipped that if Howard Dean had been president Saddam would still be in power instead of prison.

True, and 485 brave men and women of our military forces would still be alive. And 2,000 soldiers would not be recovering from wounds with varying degrees of disability. And 130,000 members of the finest army in the world would not be at risk 24/7 fighting an unwinnable guerrilla war. It is mission impossible to defeat an enemy if who they are, where they are, and when they will strike or where or how are all unknown.

Iraq is not Vietnam, but it is similar to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to keep a communist regime in power. Superior ordinance and training did not prevail against the guerrillas. Excuse me; we covertly supported the guerrillas, so that made them freedom fighters.

If former Vermont Gov. Dean were president, he would not be adding to a staggering debt left over from the Reagan-Bush years at the greatest rate in history. Howard Dean is a fiscal conservative; Vermont is fiscally sound.

We are paying an enormous price for Junior to satisfy his obsession with finishing the job he felt Poppa left undone.

VERNON BOSTICK