Letter: Staying the course is a terrible option

Tuesday, March 13, 2007 | 7:16 a.m.

I am still reading letters from the few who still support the war in Iraq where, as they call it, "cutting and running" would have terrible consequences. It is true that we can guess what those consequences would be.

Some of the countries in the Middle East would consider it a victory for Islam. Americans might look back and feel that the thousands of troops who died in Iraq died in vain. The minority of supporters for the war will claim that we let the troops down.

These consequences are probable but not valid unless we make another list of what the consequences would be if we "stayed the course."

It would be a no-brainer that billions of taxpayers' dollars would be saved. It is also a no-brainer that thousands of American troop lives would be spared. I would see a favorable trade-off where a plethora of nations in the free world would award America style points in judgment for pulling out of Iraq. In both scenarios, sectarian fighting would go on like it has for thousands of years.

I know that we are stuck there, and so far it is difficult to get this administration to admit that just possibly it was a mistake to attack Iraq. In 1968 LBJ was told by his experts on the Vietnam War that there was no way that the U.S. could win over there. Five days later Johnson announced a restriction on bombing in North Vietnam and his own withdrawal from the presidential race.

America cut its losses and continued to be a respected member of the world community. Where do we go from here?

Ken Anderson, Las Vegas