Dear Reader, On 8/22/10, The New York Times published their perspective on what has been gained in the Iraq War and where the U.S. goes from here. In response, I wrote a brief Letter to the Editor which they did not publish. I offer it here.*
In your "News Analysis: As Mission Shifts in Iraq, Risks Linger for Obama," (8/22/10), you raised some powerful questions, such as "was [the Iraq War] worth it? Did toppling a dictator and nursing a fledgling if flawed democracy make a difference? And did the United States salvage credibility by sticking it out and finally stabilizing Iraq even if not winning the clear-cut victory originally envisioned?"
To answer those questions, you quoted U.S. government officials and U.S. commentators. You didn't quote Iraqi people, nor the families of U.S. or allied military personnel who were killed there, nor the severely wounded U.S. servicemen, all of whom wrestle with these questions. Don't their opinions matter? How about asking working class U.S. taxpayers who bear the financial cost of this war and to whom President Obama will appeal to for votes.
You also stated 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq to "advise and assist" but made no reference to U.S. military contractors nor the elite fighting force of U.S. Special Operations. How many of them will remain or be posted to Iraq? No credible analysis can begin without asking such crucial questions and including the answers of those most affected by what's happened.
Dick Kazan
*This is The New York Times piece, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/us/politics/22obama.html?ref=middleeast
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