Letter: Iraq is over, so bring the troops home

Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2006 | 7:10 a.m.

Excepting the people at the Bush and Cheney dinner tables, it seems clear to everyone else that the Iraq debacle is over. Between the insurgency that has erupted into civil war, and the small but effective al-Qaida presence that instigates the sectarian violence, no show of American force can reverse the downward spiral that has evolved in Iraq these last few months.

Hatred of the U.S. forces grows every day as Iraqi civilians are killed by the hundreds. A surge of American power would only serve to delay the obvious and create more anti-American sentiment.

What good can come from another American soldier killed by a roadside bomb detonated by an Iraqi that the GI or Marine felt he was fighting to protect? Having performed their combat duties so well during the invasion and regime change, they should be returned home with their heads held high.

The mistakes made by the president and his cronies after removing a third-rate dictator from power should not be allowed to cause the ruin of our very capable armed forces. After this unnecessary, mismanaged war, we're going to need them more than ever.

Phil Ventura, Las Vegas