Are We Standing Firm in Iraq, or Are We Stuck?

Re “Heads in the Iraqi Sand,” editorial, June 24: You say, “The war is not unwinnable.” That is highly improbable. The war is a war on terrorism, primarily Muslim terrorists. Most are young men who have visions of paradise dancing in their heads. They take a bit of explosives and kill themselves and a few of our troops or a few of our supporters. There are millions of Muslims around the world, many of them young men.

Having served in World War II, it is decades since I was a young man. Although I was agnostic then, I can imagine I might have been swayed by visions of paradise if I were living in a society that denied me the company of young women. Do you honestly believe that there are fewer terrorists around the world than there were when the major fighting was over?

Richard Foy

Redondo Beach

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Re “Cheney Still Forecasts Collapse of Insurgency,” June 24: How do aging white men out of touch with reality, spouting blind rhetoric and lies, coupled with arrogance and greed, think for even a minute that this war is in anybody’s interest other than their own? Wake up! War is not peace!

Oliver Knight

Los Angeles

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Re “No ‘Timetables’ for Iraq Pullout, Bush Promises Visiting Premier,” June 25: President Bush adamantly declares that there are no timetables for an Iraq withdrawal. He insists that he’s going to “hold to his plans” until the “mission” is accomplished. What plans? What does “mission” mean? How will we know the mission is accomplished?

As Bush continues to speak in vague terms, Iraq has become a fertile breeding ground for terrorists, and from all indications is heading toward chaos despite our presence. With no end in sight, our president is not answering a fundamental question: How do we get out of this mess? Probably because he has no clue. But his goal to change the Middle East is right on schedule -- Iran has elected an Islamic fundamentalist.

Dick Meis

Murrieta

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The president made a huge blunder by invading Iraq. But it is morally and strategically unacceptable to create a power vacuum by just pulling out. We are obligated to nurture stability in the region, even at the expense of American blood. Maybe our attempts will be unsuccessful, but we must try.

Daniel Van Zanten

Hollywood

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Can anyone imagine how differently the Cold War would have ended if President Reagan had announced a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Berlin?

Gordon Froede

Cheviot Hills

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Re “U.S., Rebels in Iraq Talking,” June 27: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld now says that it could take as long as 12 years to defeat the insurgency in Iraq.

Can we call it a quagmire yet?

Brian Bard

Glendale