Letter: War must be fought at full strength

Monday, Oct. 9, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.

I am a Democrat. We are not the "cut and run" cowards our president would like the voting public to think. We do not need the name calling on either side of the fence, especially from the president of the United States. We need some solutions. We really need to understand the problems first. It seems that we need to review our history lessons. The Roman Empire was defeated from within.

The terrorists are using the same methods of fighting they have found successful for centuries. They do not use uniforms as we do. They simply dress the same as the civilians they use for "cover." I think the United States needs to adjust to the rules of war that are being used by the enemy. We need to do as we did in World War II. We took out the supply lines and we took out the capabilities of making the supplies.

The number one mistake we are making: Our president is our commander in chief by a vote of the people. That does not make him a military strategist nor an educational director. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has overextended his use as an effective statesman. We need someone who will use our generals, who has extensive education in our best military schools. We need a secretary of Defense who will at least listen to those generals.

If we are serious about winning this war in Iraq and the war against the terrorists, I personally think we should expand our area of encounter to go after the supply lines of our enemies. We need to take out their suppliers. We need to dig in and let all of the supplying countries know if they help the insurgents, we consider them enemies. We do not have to "jaw" with Iran. Take them out.

We know they are supplying and make no bones about it. We need to make a decision - we either quit and pull back our troops in Iraq or expand the war to where the suppliers of insurgent troops and weapons live. If we want to win, we need to go for broke. And it is as simple as that.

Ward Drollinger, Las Vegas