Bush Fails as Nation’s Protector

Re “A Leader for Perilous Times,” Commentary, May 30: My god, Harry Truman must be spinning in his grave. Joshua Muravchik compares President Bush to Truman. No one with half a brain believes that Bush knows beans about fighting a war against terrorists or anything else. Some sick people have foisted this boob upon an (at times) very gullible American electorate; I’m sure the agenda was to cut some backroom deals and hope nothing serious happened. Then came 9/11.

Muravchik must be a very low-level scholar to not have better insight than that presented in his pitch for Bush’s reelection.

Bernard Spear

Placentia

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According to Muravchik, a dog is an animal and a cat is an animal, therefore a dog is a cat. He again tries to equate 9/11 with Iraq but never explains how he connects the dots. He lauds Bush for his brave choice of fighting a toothless tiger instead of pursuing the real villains.

Although Muravchik concedes we are not safer now, he still somehow comes to the conclusion that Bush did a great service to the country. What am I missing here?

William Ash

Santa Monica

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Muravchik’s gushy paean to Bush’s leadership is astonishing. He correctly states that a president’s chief duty is to keep the nation safe. Could anyone, conservative or liberal, seriously argue that Bush’s policies have led to a safer America or world? He has destabilized Iraq for reasons that were clearly proved untrue (to the extent that even Muravchik has to concede the numerous, tragic mistakes there) and, by doing so, caused a ripple effect throughout the entire Middle East, leading to increased terrorism there and worldwide.

This is so glaringly obvious that our starry-eyed fan himself admits we are less safe now, but, like his stubborn idol, he sees a light somewhere way down the tunnel. Do the families of the servicemen killed in Iraq because of Bush’s misguided decisions see that same light, I wonder?

Truly great leaders unite, not divide. Bush has many failures as a president (his economic policies, anyone?), but his greatest is to have squandered the respect and goodwill felt internationally toward America after 9/11.

Mark Diniakos

Thousand Oaks