Letter: Battle for hearts and minds is lost

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.

The administration says it will begin pulling U.S. troops out when the Iraqi military can take over.

In a country where the unemployment rate hovers between 60 percent and 70 percent, most of the Iraqis who sign up do so for the $300-$400 a month salary rather than any desire to fight their countrymen.

One of the many things the Pentagon failed to take into consideration is the fact that Iraq has a singular culture that dates back more than a thousand years. That culture doesn't allow them to storm into a mosque with weapons drawn to arrest clerics and those gathered in prayer. It won't allow them to break into peoples' homes and violate women's quarters.

Our excuse for staying is that if we leave there will be a civil war. Isn't training Iraqis to kill Iraqis creating civil war?

We've already lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq. The insurgency is increasing. For every Iraqi resister of our invasion and occupation that we kill or capture, two will fill his place. The fighting will continue as long as we're there because they are fighting against our presence. We're creating the very situations we're staying there to prevent.

We'll never succeed. We'll only continue to spend our money and the lives of both the American troops and the Iraqis. And President Bush will continue to "stay the course" and continue to offend and incite 1.2 billion Muslims around the world. Is this going to make us safer?

JOANN FISCHELLA