Letter: Let history be our guide out of Iraq

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 | 7:19 a.m.

Concerning the request by President Bush for more time to allow the surge to succeed: This sounds quite similar to the argument offered 40 years ago regarding Vietnam. Just give Gen. William Westmoreland and the Saigon government a "little more time" and we will prevent Southeast Asia from being swallowed up in a domino effect - first Vietnam, then Burma, Thailand, etc., would all go communist. After all, the body counts indicated we were killing many more Viet Cong than losing our own men. Give it a little more time, and we would succeed and save Vietnam for freedom and democracy.

Well, we stayed over a decade - we were driven out in 1975 - and Southeast Asia did not become totally communist. The U.S. survived a communist Vietnam government. However 58,000 young Americans did not survive the plans of Westmoreland, Henry Kissinger and the Pentagon.

So here we go again - let's sacrifice a few thousand more young Americans for King George, Cheney , etc. After all, their children are not in harm's way - someone else can "make the sacrifice " for George's war.

Iraqis want us to leave, so let's go. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said recently that Iraqi forces are capable, and American troops can leave "any time they want." Surely, he must know what he is talking about - King George supports him completely. We need to get the hell out of Iraq soon before thousands more young Americans die so King George can appear favorably in the history books.

Frank O'Neill, Las Vegas