Letter: America in Iraq is like schoolyard bully

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2006 | 6:58 a.m.

President Bush should realize that if he authorizes a "temporary" surge of more troops into Iraq that other surges will follow. For instance, a surge in death, dismemberment and mental illness of American troops facing chaos 24/7; a surge in family breakup and divorce as a result of quick turnaround redeployment of husbands and fathers; a surge in the spending of hundreds of billions of borrowed dollars; a surge in disapproval, even outright hatred, of America by the rest of the world; and, finally, a surge in the weariness of the American people for a war we can't win. This isn't defeatism, just realism.

In the past, America has been like the schoolyard bully that all the other students were afraid of. One day some kid had enough and kicked his butt in front of the others. From that time on the other kids weren't intimidated anymore. "Why were we afraid of this guy?" This is what our adventure in Iraq has done to us. Now we're getting the finger instead of cooperation from other countries.

Bruce Brown, Las Vegas