Letter: President has dug a huge hole for America

Tuesday, May 15, 2007 | 7:33 a.m.

We have lost respect around the world with our inept and shortsighted policy in Iraq. The war is now entering its fifth year and we are no closer to bringing peace to Iraq, or establishing a viable representative government for the people of Iraq, than we were four years ago.

Almost 3,400 Americans have died in a war that goes on and on with no sign of closure. We have spent more than $400 billion on a war that should never have been. We now know that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction and he had no connection with the terrorists who struck on 9/11.

The policies of the Bush administration continue to be a train wreck when it comes to Iraq and, as a result, our support among our longtime allies around the world has almost ceased to exist. In short, the Bush administration's war against terrorism, which includes the war in Iraq, has not made us any safer. Actually, the opposite may be true.

It's time to leave Iraq. It's time to turn our attention to many of the problems and challenges that face us here at home. It's time to heal our wounds and bring Americans together with a common purpose, a common goal. It's time to become energy independent.

It's time to make sure that every American will be able to compete in the ever expanding global economy. It's time to see that every American has health care coverage. It's time to rebuild and repair our infrastructure. It's time to make our educational system the best in the world. It's time to solve our immigration problems. It's time. Let's start by bringing the troops home .

Larry Burgess, Henderson