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Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors
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Below are the 13 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors" journal:
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10:55 am
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war as a sport
Bush vs. Congress Over the War
Re “Bush Rules Out Bid by Congress for Iraq Pullout” (front page, March 29):
President Bush’s reference to Iraq withdrawal as “defeat” is a cheap attempt to appeal to our aversion to losing a competition.
War is not a competition; proving our strength is not a goal.
Mr. Bush is free to argue that a withdrawal would cause more suffering than it would prevent, but he must stop speaking of the war as if it were a sport.
Losing a contest is painful, but losing good people every day is more so.
Tags: iraq
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09:32 am
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zarqawi's death does not justify iraq war
Don't celebrate yet
I'm glad we finally killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but before we celebrate, let's remember that we ourselves created this monster. Who had heard of Zarqawi before we invaded Iraq? Would his international terror network exist today had we not invaded?
Zarqawi's terror network is just one of many unintended consequences of our invasion. As we celebrate our success at cleaning this one up, let's not forget how many other consequences we still have left to deal with.
Tags: iraq, replies, usa_today, war_on_terror
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08:37 am
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haditha as microcosm of iraq war
Haditha screams a message
Re "The warrior's way," Opinion, June 6
David. J. Danelo cautions against "placing too close an association on the Haditha massacre with the war's politics," but the connection is too important to ignore. Haditha is a perfect microcosm of the entire Iraq war. Some Iraqis killed a Marine, and his mates allegedly took revenge not on the killers but on the nearest defenseless Iraqis.
On 9/11 some Arabs killed our citizens, and we took revenge not on the killers but on the nearest defenseless Arabs. The Marines at Haditha took their cue from their commander in chief. President Bush's condemnations of their acts therefore sound hypocritical.
Tags: hypocrisy, iraq, latimes, war_on_terror
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09:21 am
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iraq and 9/11
Oh, what a lovely war
SIR – Americans will indeed accept heavy casualties to prevent another September 11th. However, Iraq had nothing to do with those atrocities.
Tags: economist, iraq, war_on_terror
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06:52 am
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religious displays in public buildings
The Commandments and the Court
I'm less bothered by government endorsement of religion than by the hypocrisy of having our government buildings shout ''do not kill'' and ''do not bear false witness'' while we start needless wars based on trumped-up evidence.
If government displays of religion had been pushed by Mother Teresa, I might accept them, but they're pushed by people who often contradict the very messages they want prominently displayed.
Such religious displays would actually serve a useful purpose if seen for what they are: not affirmations of righteousness but testaments to hypocrisy.
Tags: hypocrisy, iraq, nytimes, religion
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09:38 am
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bush rewards loyalty, not competence
Medal undeserved
Why is President Bush giving former CIA director George Tenet a medal? Certainly not for preventing 9/11. And certainly not for getting it right on Iraq ("Bush honors 3 players key to Iraq Policy," News).
Only one reason is left: Bush is rewarding loyalty. Tenet did not publicly object to Bush's case for war, despite serious doubts within his agency about whether Iraq was a threat. Bush's message to other subordinates: The way to get ahead is not to be right, but to be loyal. That's the same message Saddam Hussein gave his underlings. Bush should know better.
Tags: bush, iraq, usa_today, war_on_terror
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07:08 am
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bush's choices on iraq and afghanistan
Bush at War: Eye on the Ball?
The question isn't whether we definitely had Osama bin Laden cornered in Afghanistan at Tora Bora. It's whether we've done all in our power to capture him. Had we sent our entire army after Osama bin Laden -- as we did after Saddam Hussein -- would he be still at large?
It's obvious even to nonmilitary observers that we didn't pursue Osama bin Laden with nearly the same vigor as Saddam Hussein. Now, who was more dangerous?
Tags: iraq, nytimes, war_on_terror
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11:15 am
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bush's problem
The World According to George Bush
Bush's main problem is that he fails to think ahead. He invaded Iraq but didn't plan for the aftermath. He offended allies whose help we now need. He started a war without thinking how it would destabilize the world. He cut corners, bypassing the U.N. Being tough cannot make up for a lack of judgment.
original (unedited) version
Tags: bush, iraq, time_magazine
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07:21 am
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tracing sources of nuclear material
Tracing Bombs
A March 23 letter mocks the notion that ''if terrorists know a bomb can be traced, they will be less likely to try to use one.'' While suicide bombers won't be deterred by the prospect of revenge, those who send them and those who provide them with weapons will be.
Naming the culprit can also help enlist allies in our fight; many Arabs doubted Osama bin Laden's involvement in 9/11 until a video showed him boasting of the deed.
After the Iraq weapons of mass destruction fiasco, accurately naming our enemies is especially important.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas, war_on_terror
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07:25 am
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amnesty for insurgents
Saddam Hussein in Custody: A Chapter Is Closed
With Saddam Hussein captured, we should offer an amnesty to at least the rank-and-file members of the insurgency who turn in their arms. Offered from a position of strength, the amnesty would be much more likely to help end the insurgency than if offered later in less happy times.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas, related_material
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07:26 am
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justifications offered for the iraq war
No Illegal Arms, No Casus Belli?
Re ''A Reckoning: Iraq Arms Report Poses Test for Bush'' (news analysis, Oct. 3):
President Bush is right that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein, the failure to find weapons of mass destruction notwithstanding.
But without pre-emptive strikes based on flawed intelligence, it would be an even better place.
Tags: iraq, nytimes
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07:34 am
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"do no harm" in foreign policy
Clouds of War, Hopes for Peace
In ''The Long Bomb'' (column, March 2), Thomas L. Friedman is saying two things: that war in Iraq will be a good thing if done right, and that the Bush team is unlikely to do it right. Why doesn't he add the obvious: if we can't do it right, we shouldn't start.
If a surgeon bungles his preparations and is not fit for the operation or the post-operative care, should he still proceed?
Those who would cure the world through drastic surgery should learn the medical maxim ''First, do no harm.''
Tags: iraq, nytimes, related_material
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07:36 am
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getting iraqi defectors to tell us what they know
Calling Iraqi Defectors
Re '' 'Sodom' Hussein's Iraq,'' by Thomas L. Friedman (column, Dec. 1):
A potential Iraqi defector may decide to withhold his information, for fear of consequences to his country. Any revelations will trigger a devastating American invasion costing thousands of Iraqi lives. The war will destabilize the volatile region and turn Iraq into a de facto United States protectorate for years. The conscientious defector may doubt the sincerity of American commitment to ordinary Iraqis, given their suffering under United States-backed sanctions.
To win the cooperation of concerned Iraqis, guaranteeing the safety of their immediate families won't be enough. We must guarantee, to the extent possible, the well-being and dignity of the Iraqi people. A new United Nations resolution is needed, specifying our plans for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Otherwise, an Iraqi ''Sakharov'' may worry that ''severe consequences'' mean just that for his country.
Tags: iraq, nytimes, policy_ideas
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