Letters

Saddam's Last Stand

"I remain against the war, but I congratulate the soldiers of the U.S. and its allies for freeing the Iraqis from a terrible dictatorship." ABDOU RAZAC AMBALI New York City

Your cover photo was remarkable for its contrasts [April 14]. At first glance, I saw the face of a man sharing a ribald joke or perhaps preparing to engage in impish folly. On second glance, however, as I looked carefully at Saddam Hussein's eyes, I could see the jagged edge of a gangrenous soul. JAMES H. HYDE Stowe, Vt.

I may not always agree with President Bush's sometimes arrogant rhetoric, and I may not feel he is the most diplomatic man in the world, but he got the job in Iraq done with relatively few casualties and freed the Iraqi people from a cruel, long-standing dictatorship. So I ask anyone critical of Bush and how he has handled the war, Could you have done it any better? LEIGH GERNERT Los Angeles

Congratulations to Iraq on its freedom from a brutal dictator. We Afghans share the feelings of Iraqis. We have suffered similar hardships at the hands of the Taliban and terrorists in our country. We feel great sorrow for Iraqi civilian casualties, but one cannot obtain freedom without sacrifice. We hope the U.S. and others in the world community will fulfill the commitments they made to the Afghans and Iraqis and will bring peace, stability and prosperity to both countries. BASHAAR KHAN Jalalabad, Afghanistan

The U.S. has certainly mastered the technology to design and build amazing weapons of war. But how much greater a nation we would be if we put more of our talents and resources toward benefiting humanity rather than toward killing. HARRY FARINA Coral Springs, Fla.

Old Rivals Square Off

Re "Clash Of The Administration Titans," your story on the foreign-policy feud between Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell over how to rebuild a post-Saddam Iraq [THE RECONSTRUCTION, April 14]: What are the frothing-at-the-mouth military hawks going to say next? That Powell is an unpatriotic traitor for wanting the State Department and the U.N. to have a role in Iraq? The world view espoused by neoconservatives such as Rumsfeld--in which the Pentagon would slam the door on the U.N., Britain, the State Department and anyone else who has a problem with their messianic aspirations--will lead us down a path to chaos and ruin. More moderate voices must be allowed to emerge in what has become a frightening American landscape of bellicosity and flag waving, with the media acting as ringleaders. THOMAS STARKY New York City

You characterized those who oppose U.N. involvement in postwar Iraq as believing "If you weren't with us on the takeoff, you don't deserve to be there for the landing." I thought we were trying to make the world a better place. It is the world community that will be affected by the results of Iraq's reconstruction for a long time. It is the world community, then, that should participate in the establishment of a new Iraq. Isn't that the democratic way? DAMON REGAN Orlando, Fla.

I hope Powell's plan to include the U.N. in the effort to rebuild Iraq prevails over Rumsfeld's unilateral approach. But given Bush's go-it-alone war rhetoric, it doesn't look good for the sensible path espoused by Powell. So it appears that the hawks are destined to win. Their pipe dream of quickly building a democracy is ludicrous. And what if Iraq's free choice of leadership does not meet with the hawks' approval? Would pre-emptive intervention be necessary again? DICK MEIS Murrieta, Calif.

The Power of Simplicity

Why did a gifted writer like Joe Klein [IN THE ARENA, April 14] so gratuitously taunt President Bush about his inability to spontaneously speak about complex ideas and state that "he has not grown in stature or gravitas, as wartime leaders usually do"? If Bush had another handicap, such as being blind, Klein would surely not point out in the middle of a war that the President is still blind. Inarticulateness does not keep Bush from leading the country, nor does it prevent him from surrounding himself with brilliant, focused men and women who are quietly getting the job done. MARSHA D. O'CONNOR New Orleans

Klein was right on the money about Bush's bunker mentality and diminished presence. At an embarrassing Camp David press conference, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to explain postwar complexities with the graceful fluency that is perhaps his last remaining virtue, while the leader of the free world, America's President, strutted and bullied his questioners like a war-movie tough guy. Many of us who didn't vote for Bush hoped he would grow into his job. Too bad it hasn't happened. A. RICHARD IMMEL Moraga, Calif.

Klein called the President's rhetoric "bleak" and "simple," with even simpler ideas. Bush's ideas, however, have resulted in freeing millions from horrible oppression in less than a month. If this is simplistic, count me in. Bush knows his limits and so has selected the strongest and smartest Cabinet and best advisers in many a presidency. ROBERT STERN Lima, Ohio

A Heroic Rescue

I believe the real hero in the ordeal of POW Jessica Lynch [WITH THE TROOPS, April 14] is Mohammed, the Iraqi lawyer who walked approximately 36 miles over two days to bring information to the Marines about a young woman being held in a hospital. Of course, Lynch underwent a horrendous experience; I cannot imagine the terror that went through that young woman's mind. Labeling her a hero, however, is a misuse of the word. The Iraqi lawyer who put his life on the line to make the rescue possible is unquestionably the true hero in this terrible saga. Lynch was the unfortunate victim of war's cruelty while serving as a soldier. JANICE M. CURRIE Lancaster, Pa.

Triumph's Toll

Your photo essay on the devastation in Iraq included a very powerful picture of an elderly man with arms outstretched, bewailing the destruction of his home by bombing [IMAGES OF WAR, April 14]. You titled the photo "The Price of Peace." It looks as if you've joined other news purveyors in buying into the Bush Administration's claim that war inevitably results in peace. What this picture shows is, plain and simple, the agonizing price of war. Whether peace will follow is a question only the foolish would try to answer now. MARIAN R. PLACE Durham, N.C.

Thank you for the courageous decision to run the photo of the Iraqi boy who lost both arms and was severely burned during the fighting. It was a stunning illustration of the awful price civilians pay in war. Now that the Iraqi people have been liberated, the coalition and the U.N. must make it a top priority to treat and rehabilitate victims like that boy. There should be no limit on the resources and medical personnel we provide to help the Iraqi medical community restore the lives of the wounded. ROBERT A. WISCHMEYER Ann Arbor, Mich.

It doesn't take dozens of horrifying pictures to illustrate the madness of war. It takes only one. The picture of the badly burned boy with no arms reduced me to tears. I pray the good that may come out of this war will far outweigh the horrors visited on some innocent Iraqi civilians. It will take a lot of good to make up for the pain of this boy. Americans need to see such images alongside those of jubilant Iraqi men beating pictures of Saddam with their shoes. JENNIFER REICHERT San Diego

Of Pundits and Patriotism

In his article about the news coverage of the war [CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK, April 14], James Poniewozik questioned whether one should give up journalistic independence in the name of liberty. Journalistic independence doesn't exist without liberty. When liberty is in jeopardy, so is freedom of the press. Journalistic bias exists in varying degrees, no matter what. But journalists need to have perspective on which country allows them to freely report the news in the first place. AARON LLOYD ROLLINS Ventura, Calif.

Poniewozik blasted the journalists and on-air personalities who dared express their approval for our nation's efforts in Iraq. He discussed bias to make his point. I find it refreshing for a news person to admit there is bias in the media. Unlike the majority of reporters, the "biased" individuals Poniewozik talks about often espouse the views of the vast majority of loyal Americans. When did it become a bad thing to believe in your country? Or to want to help those who are oppressed by inhumane regimes? STEVEN HAWKINS Dallas

Telling It Like It Is

I applaud TIME for printing the words of Marine Lieut. Colonel Bryan McCoy as his battalion easily routed Iraqi fighters outside the town of Kut [WITH THE TROOPS, April 14]. McCoy said, "Let's quit pussyfooting and call it what it is. It's murder, it's slaughter, it's clubbing baby harp seals." Some may believe the antiwar protests should have stopped once the fighting started, for fear of demoralizing American troops, but I am more concerned about the morale of those who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the horrors of war. The suffering on both sides will continue long after the last shot is fired. Thanks to McCoy for telling it like it is. JILL EICKHOFF BASHORE Durham, N.C.

Blurring the Distinctions

Walter Kirn's piece about how things get complicated once the fighting actually begins brought us down into the dust where the real war is taking place [ESSAY, April 14]. Kirn uncovered the circumstances for what they are. War is an awful, terrible thing. Yet his article gives me reason to hope that when all is said and done, the lines will be redrawn, except this time there will be no "they"--the Iraqis and the Americans--only "us." CHRISTINA HILDRETH Novi, Mich.