Bush bears responsibility for war

To the editor:

Since much of the dark veil of secrecy has at last been lifted about our leaders' decision to send our valiant troops into battle in Iraq, the Bush administration seems desperate to seize the opportunity to further exploit the poor work of the CIA in its own defense. Questions still remain regarding the apparent pressure the administration brought to bear on the intelligence community to produce the rationale for making war against Iraq.

There is no disputing that Saddam Hussein was an evil tyrant. He did, nevertheless, rule over a sovereign nation that fought the destabilizing influences of religious fundamentalism throughout his 30 years. The United States covertly, through the CIA, supplied intelligence and materiel to that cause, because it was commensurate with our own interests.

It is the president of the United States who bears sole responsibility for deploying our troops in a wartime setting. He has the final say. Our brave troops have been squandered without just cause, and President Bush should step up to the plate and stop hiding behind the implication that the CIA was exclusively at fault for this war. The Central Intelligence Agency failed, and it is in dire need of overhaul, but it does not bear the entire blame for the invasion and the subsequent quagmire that has become the Iraqi theater of operations.

This nation, and those who suffered the ultimate sacrifice, deserve nothing less than a full and honest accounting of the administration's actions.

A.H. YOUNG

Fredericktown, Mo.