Your writer said that "In each case, America's commander in chief immersed the nation in a faraway conflict for reasons that turned out to be misleading or just plain wrong." I think that is far too polite and overly cautious. In my opinion, both presidents certainly knew that, if not a blatant lie, it was at least a gross exaggeration of the facts. Evidence to the contrary was ignored, and in each case the people were conned. They say those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. The amazing hubris of the Bush administration in ignoring lessons of the past will, sadly, be recorded by future historians.
SUMNER WEISMAN
Framingham, Mass.
U.S. Troop Analysis
Kudos to Michael Barone for his column "Stuck in the '60s" [November 13]. Not only did he provide an accurate analysis of Sen. John Kerry's mind-set, but Barone correctly concluded that Iraq is no Vietnam (contrary to "Two Texans in Trouble"). As a veteran, I respect Kerry's service in Vietnam but not his service in the U.S. Senate. As we anxiously await the new Congress in January, millions of Americans ponder the question of Kerry's diatribe against U.S. fighting forces now that he has additional support from his party.
BOB CHARLESWORTH
Prescott, Ariz.
I don't know what Kerry meant by his remark, but it didn't equal Barone's insult: "No one is 'stuck in Iraq' unless he or she volunteers...." While serving as a flight instructor at Fort Rucker, Ala., I have talked with dozens of young soldiers, and not one of them has said that he or she volunteered to serve in Iraq. In July 1967, I was one of the first Army pilots to return to Vietnam for a second tour. My daughter, born during my first tour, was 26 months old, and my son was 1 month old. Do you think I wanted to return? I volunteered to stay in the Army and to defend America, and this encompassed a lot more than Vietnam. Our young people today have volunteered to defend America, not to die for the Bush administration or the Republican Party.
CARL L. HESS
Chief Warrant Officer 4, Army (Ret.)
Ozark, Ala.
Concern over the educational levels of recruits is not a put-down of the troops themselves. We should be concerned that only 83.1 percent of Army recruits are high school graduates. While this is a higher percentage than the national graduation rate of about 75 percent, neither is cause for celebration-not because dropouts are "depraved or incompetent " but because our educational system has failed them. The active-duty enlisted ranks have fewer college graduates than the comparable civilian population. Many young people join the armed forces to obtain funding for college. Given that military service is the first full-time job for most recruits, to say that "economic levels of our military personnel are higher than those of civilians of the same age cohort" does not explain why recruits volunteered in the first place. Perhaps I should be relieved that the armed forces provide educational and economic benefits, but I feel bad about inequalities that compel some young people to risk their lives for decent pay and an education.
ELIZABETH CAFER DU PLESSIS
Bloomington, Ind.
Barone's views about the stakes in Iraq are legitimate points for discussion, but he undercut his message by taking cheap shots at the Democrats. Democrats and Republicans alike have called for reassessment of our current course in Iraq, and many have put forward legitimate alternatives. But instead of debating these alternatives, Barone maligned Kerry and others by claiming that they view the American military as "depraved or incompetent" and that they are not capable of understanding the differences between Vietnam in the Cold War and Iraq in today's war on terror. The charges just don't add up, are off the point, and don't contribute to serious public debate.
DEAN RUST
Alexandria, Va.
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