Letter: It suits U.S. to give alleged terrorist a pass

Friday, May 27, 2005 | 9:02 a.m.

True to form, the Bush administration has once again demonstrated abysmal judgment -- this time in the case of Luis Posada Carriles, who, according to FBI informants, was responsible for planning the bombing of a Cuban airliner in which 73 innocent people died.

Carriles escaped a Venezuelan prison and resurfaced in Miami, a hero to the Cuban-American community currently using its vast resources and political clout to defend his right to remain in the United States as a political refugee.

Despite the fact that the U.S. has an extradition treaty with Venezuela, and despite our "war on terror," our government has charged Posada with only an immigration violation, refusing to return him to Venezuela, ostensibly because of that country's close ties to Fidel Castro.

The message -- to both terrorists and the rest of the civilized world -- is sadly clear: When the circumstances are politically inconvenient, our current leadership is willing to throw honor and integrity out of the closest window.

JOHN H. ESPERIAN