Letter: Porter plays loose with truth on Iraq

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 | 7:28 a.m.

Rep. John Porter's description of the progress in the war in Iraq rings as false as a certain Idaho senator's excuse about his actions in a public restroom. Everything Porter talks about, from Iraqis leading happy, normal lives to the local politicians earnestly declaring the surge a success, is contradicted by news reports of record misery and death for the Iraqi people.

Poll after poll has the Iraqis wanting American troops out of their country by huge margins. Even the president of Iraq says he wants us gone and would have no problem with us leaving now.

Porter is playing politics with the truth. He's lying about the surge's success and grossly exaggerating the possible grim results of our troops leaving. Porter even throws out the possibility of $8 a gallon gasoline, which shows his complete ignorance of how economic forces work.

Most of the oil-rich dictatorships hate us, and yet they're more than willing to sell oil at the market rate - it's simple demand and supply. The higher the price of oil, the less we use; it's an economic fact.

If Americans used as little oil as the Europeans there would be such a glut that most of the oil-based economies would collapse. Bye-bye economies of Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Libya. Honestly, would they want to do that to themselves?

Americans have one more fight in the "battle against terror" and that would be to get rid of Porter. Do your patriotic duty, 3rd Congressional District voters!

David Klamann, Las Vegas