War criticism
goes too far
To the editor:
Hank Kalet’s Dec. 8 Dispatches column was a call to the Democratic Party to take the leadership as to what strategy we should pursue in Iraq, for which he has long advocated an immediate withdrawal of our military. It is curious that the discussion omitted one Democratic leader, who has weighed in mightily on this subject, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), and former vice presidential running mate for Al Gore. Following his fourth trip to Iraq, Sen. Lieberman wrote an excellent op-ed piece, which was published in The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 29.
Sen. Lieberman correctly identifies the "insurgents" as an alliance between Saddam’s loyalists, al Qaeda and foreign jihadists that are hell bent on preventing democracy from taking root in Iraq. He refers to this as a struggle between "10,000 terrorists and 27 million Iraqis." This is a very different situation than the civil war scenario, which you suggest. He articulates why he believes that it would be a colossal mistake for the U.S. to withdraw, at this point in history. I highly recommend this article to your readers.
Another piece of recommended reading is the July 9 letter from al Qaeda second in command and religious leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which was intercepted by U.S. troops. The entire English (and Arabic) transcripts of this letter are posted on the Director of National Intelligence Web site at www.dni.gov. Its contents invalidate your opinion the U.S. military presence in Iraq is the catalyst for violence in the Middle East. It is clear that al Qaeda’s war will not end with the removal of foreign troops from Iraq. The religious mentor reminds Zarqawi of their objectives, which in their proper order are:
1) Expel American troops from Iraq;
2) Take Iraq from its un-Islamic and secular rulers;
3) Expand the jihad wave to neighboring secular states;
4) The clash with Israel and the resurrection of the Islamic Caliphate.
Compare al Qaeda’s objectives to your ending quote from U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Penn.), to the effect that there is nothing more that the U.S. military can accomplish in Iraq. I do agree that Ayman al-Zawahiri is correct in reminding Zarqawi that "more than half the battle takes place in the battlefield of the media." Critical to their success is convincing the "Muslim masses that the Kingdom of Satan is waging war on Islam," and he reminds Zarqawi that the United States will run, as they did in Vietnam, and of the importance of the media. While I fully support constructive criticism about the war and its conduct, your writings go too far. In fact, so far that the leadership of al Qaeda would be delighted with The Cranbury Press.
Tim Donney
Cranbury

