Letter: Brainwashing of American public stops now

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006 | 7:14 a.m.

We can argue until the cows come home on whether or not Iraq is currently in a civil war. It really doesn't matter whether or not Iraq is involved in a civil war ... the main thing to keep in mind is that Americans are continuing to die in a war that should never have been. More than 2,600 Americans have died in a war that has no light at the end of the tunnel. In that respect, the war has become another Vietnam.

The Bush administration lied to the American people from Day One concerning the war and the reasons for going to war. The Bushites had no plan to win the peace in Iraq, and never listened to our military in terms of how to conduct the war. It has become very evident that we have not had enough boots on the ground since Day One of our invasion.

The Bush administration has successfully connected the war in Iraq with the war against terrorism. The Bushites have also connected American support of the war with patriotism. The Bush administration has told the American people that failure to back the war is unpatriotic and un-American. Unfortunately, many Americans have bought into that line of thinking.

Recent opinion polls clearly point out that a large majority of Americans believe that going to war was a big mistake. The polls also clearly show that most Americans believe that the 2,000-plus American lives lost in the conflict has been too high a price to pay for the Bush administration's feeble attempt at nation-building.

This fall's election will serve as a referendum on the war. The way Americans vote will be based largely upon how they perceive the war, and whether or not they believe the Bush administration is conducting the war in a manner that will bring peace to Iraq and allow American troops to come home in a timely manner.

Larry Burgess, Henderson