Questions Bush

Today, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005, a distraught and trembling mother whose son was killed in Iraq stood before cameras outside Pres. Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, with hundreds of others protesting the war, and asked our 'brush clearing Bush' to tell her just why we are in Iraq.

Our president's answer was this: "I would like to see our soldiers come home as soon as possible, but they will not until their mission is finished." Great words from a vacationing chief of state.

Our president never is forced to step up to the plate and answer the tough and logical follow-up questions, such as "Ok, Mr. President, but exactly what is our mission in Iraq?" and, "Yes, Mr. President, you have said many times, you are making America safer. Are we safer, Mr. President, just because you say so? How about the obvious energizing of international terrorism that your invasion of Iraq has caused?" and "Mr. President, are we really spreading democracy by decimating a countries infrastructure, killing innocent people, causing untold misery and devastation, and trying to battle an insurgency which we do not understand and for which we are ill equipped to stop?" and "Mr. President, please explain to the American people exactly what firm and solid evidence and reasons you had to invade Iraq in the first place when many of your own experts in Middle Eastern affairs, plus the teams looking for weapons of mass destruction, were saying that there was not good reasons to do so." and "Mr. President, how do you intelligently answer the charges that you are acting out of subbornness and arrogance rather than statesmanship and wise international leadership by prolonging this occupation and war in Iraq?"

I, frankly, am amazed the American public is not 'up in arms' over this debacle. This is not about being a Republican of a Democrat, or being labeled conservative or liberal.

This is about acting honorably, wisely, with integrity, with humanity, and standing for the democratic principles upon which our great nation was built.

Bob McClellan

Polson