Letter: Bush team chooses to go down in flames

Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007 | 6:55 a.m.

Americans just can't help but look at the situation in Iraq and ask: How did we get into this mess? While there is not a clear answer to why we belonged there in the first place, we are there, and what are we going to do?

Here is my analogy: A very wealthy man discovers that he has bats in the attic of his very expensive home and realizes that he must do something about it. Without asking the experts, he tries a strategy he heard about one time: Make a little fire up there and the smoke will drive the bats out of his attic. He does this and, sure enough, the bats are driven away.

But the fire somehow begins to burn out of control. So he uses his fire extinguishers, but the fire burns on. He calls for help and his private fire brigade answers the call and pours water and chemicals on the fire. The fire burns on until the whole house is in flames. Almost everyone tells him to get out of the house and take his fire brigade with him. The poor rich man has a decision to make. For many of us, it is a no-brainer.

I guess the choice I am suggesting is to either "cut and run" or to go down in flames. The war supporters make "cut and run" seem like a coward's way out, but saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars may be more prudent than cowardly.

Ken Anderson, Las Vegas