Contradictory statements reveal haphazard Iraq war effort



In response to a Jan. 30 Our View titled “Bush’s defense actually right this time,” I disagree with several of the statements that were made. Much like Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s wardrobe, life does not work in black and white, but in many shades of grey. The contradictory statements made between The Associated Press and Secretary Rumsfeld simply reveal the haphazard manner in which this war is being conducted and lack of communication between the Army and the government. In fact, it was not a reporter who suggested that the U.S.

Army is “overextended,” but a retired Army officer writing under a Pentagon contract. When The Associated Press reported on the study it was doing what it was supposed to do.

One cannot throw away the reasons behind this war. The fact that it is a war for the wrong reasons means we have to answer for it sooner or later. This war cannot be won. It is a war on terror. War on an abstract concept is not winnable. It is laughable that you would say that people like Michael Moore use “scare tactics” to scare the public, when it is that very thing that the government has utilized far more than any progressive voice.

I also take personal offense to the idea that journalists may not have the “courage to serve selflessly,” when many put themselves in the line of fire in the interest of finding the truth. The American people need to know exactly what is going on in Iraq, not some fluff story that does not accurately portray what happens there. But if you would prefer to see Skippy the water-skiing squirrel on the evening news that is, of course, your prerogative.

—Brynna Campbell
Senior Political Analyst, Channel 2

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