Plan for a ‘surge’ of troops in Iraq

Re “New Congress leery of Bush’s Iraq plans,” Jan. 5

Considering the duplicitous moves of the Bush administration over the last six years, the abusive reign of the neoconservatives and the vote of the people for withdrawal from Iraq, how can Congress accept any so-called surge plan? The Democrats have a mandate to get us out of Iraq. That is it. Any move to increase troops is the last gasp of a would-be dictator whom we empower if we cave in to his plan. Get us out now. Nothing can be gained and much can be lost.

JIM HOOVER

Huntington Beach

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This week, President Bush will announce that he is going to escalate the war in Iraq. He will call it a “surge,” but those of us who remember the Vietnam War know an escalation when we see one. He will call for an extra 15,000 to 30,000 troops for a short period of time, but will not be specific.

These extra troops must come from Europe, Asia (especially South Korea, and there is no danger there, is there?), troops already in Iraq who would be held there months longer than expected or troops sent back to Iraq much sooner than expected. I hope the new Democratic congressional majority will remember Vietnam better that the current administration does and see that escalation for what it is: the signature of failure.

JOANNE MINSKY

San Francisco