Bush’s Apology Doesn’t Address Deep Problems

Re “Bush Issues an Apology on Prisoners,” May 7: Does George W. Bush seriously think he can limit the damage to America’s image in the Arab world by apologizing for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners? Doesn’t this administration realize that America and its president are now hated around the Muslim world for the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians and that his mere words will not change this image?

And shouldn’t the commander in chief be apologizing to hundreds of American families whose children have been killed or maimed in his tragic, misconceived misadventure in the Middle East?

Paul Randau

Manhattan Beach

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Bush logic: Saudis blow up the World Trade Center -- invade Iraq. Our troops abuse Iraqi prisoners -- apologize to the king of Jordan.

Pat Mauer

Pasadena

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Some of those who called for Bush to apologize for the dreadful abuse that occurred in Iraqi prisons cited President Kennedy’s apology after the Bay of Pigs as precedent. Unlike the Bay of Pigs, in which Kennedy felt the need to apologize for a grievous tactical error that he had orchestrated, Bush can in no way be held responsible for the actions of a few misguided soldiers in Iraq. As commander in chief, it is his responsibility to see that action is now taken to avoid any future incidents and that the guilty parties are properly punished. I am confident he will do both.

Burt Bregman

Valley Village

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Re “If Rumsfeld Is Driven Out, We All Lose,” Commentary, May 7: What is Midge Decter smoking? “Ersatz scandal”? “Tempest in a teapot”? Perhaps Decter is unaware of the fact that this issue is provoking outrage not just in the Arab sector but throughout the world. The damage this scandal has done to America’s already tarnished image abroad is incalculable. Of course, “given the speed of all the apologies,” everyone should just forget this took place! Or perhaps a civil servant who oversaw such abuse should bear responsibility.

Aaron Isaacs

Rotterdam, Netherlands

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Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is guilty of concealing vital information from his boss and the Congress. The commander in chief is guilty of giving too much authority to Rumsfeld and clearly doesn’t know what’s going on with, in and about Iraq -- starting with the declaration of war. Rumsfeld needs to be fired on the spot and Bush needs to be impeached. Congress, get with it. Enough already.

Rick Mills

Long Beach

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It’s bad enough that the Bush administration has presided over a tragic and unjust war, the erosion of our constitutional rights, unmatched executive-level secrecy and a once-thriving economy that is being shipped overseas.

What’s even worse is that our president refuses to fire those personally responsible for ongoing debacles (such as CIA Director George Tenet and Rumsfeld). Our nation is unraveling as we speak, and absolutely no one is being held accountable.

Jack Wolf

Westwood

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It’s almost comical to watch Bush and his co-conspirators expressing their regrets over the inhumane treatment of Iraqi prisoners only now, when they apparently knew about it months ago. Where was their remorse then? It makes me wonder what else they’re hiding from us, hoping we don’t discover.

Karl Simanonok

Long Beach

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Americans go abroad to earn money to feed their families because their jobs have been outsourced, and they are attacked, burned and their smoldering bodies are hung from a bridge while the ones they are supposed to be defending dance in the streets. Daily our brothers, sisters, fathers and loved ones are being slaughtered, and the ones they are sacrificing their lives for don’t seem to care.

As a Vietnam veteran who zipped up many a body bag to send those who gave the ultimate sacrifice back to their final resting place, I will not shed any tears for whatever humiliation some Iraqi prisoners might temporarily be subjected to. The black granite wall in Washington bears the names of 58,000 soldiers who fought a war our politicians are now apologizing for. We don’t need another similar wall, with another similar war, with belated apologies. Either we fight this war without reservation or we make reservations for those on the front lines for airplanes to bring them home.

James Grafton Randall

Anaheim Hills

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The Bush administration justified invading Iraq after the 9/11 atrocities by linking Hussein’s regime to Al Qaeda. When that didn’t fly, it changed the premise to Iraq’s acquisition of weapons of mass destruction. Then the U.S. invaded Iraq and found no WMD. It changed the cause of the war to a humanitarian one -- ridding the Iraqis of a cruel regime that tortured prisoners and made life very difficult for its citizens.

After the shocking Abu Ghraib prison photos and the troubling news we keep receiving about the lack of security in Iraq, what now will be the justification of the war? America has little chance of achieving its goal in Iraq.

Samir Hafza

Santa Monica

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Two words:

Mission botched.

Katy Hickman

Los Angeles