White House has duped Americans

To the editor:

Understandably, Americans want to believe their president when he claims war is necessary. Many stick by him even as the evidence against his justification mounts. But there comes a time when Americans must recognize they have been duped into supporting an illegitimate war.

Although some still think that somewhere in Iraq there are weapons of mass destruction or that Iraq was connected to al-Quaida, the horrific 9-11 attack or terrorism in general, all the evidence argues against such claims.

Some still think that the Iraq invasion was to bring democracy to Iraq or fight terrorism, yet all the evidence argues against these also. This administration not only actively supports the despotic dictator Ilham Aliyev in nearby Azerbaijan, it is now promoting terrorism around the world rather than combating it.

Despite credible reports that debunked each claim the White House made and continues to make to justify this war, some still believe the lies. Not surprisingly, those listening only to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, the talking heads on Fox News and the White House spin doctors and their media servants continue to believe the lies.

The evidence suggests, however, that our brave troops have been sent to war by a cynical and callous president for no justifiable reason.

Little surprise, then, that 26 former U.S. diplomats and senior military officers from the Reagan and senior Bush eras urge that this administration be removed. This president, they argue, has squandered alliances and his foreign policies have harmed U.S. national interests.

ALAN JOURNET

Cape Girardeau