From: Mermaid . (britannica@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Jan 21 2002 - 09:56:51 MST
[Mermaid]Hmmm
http://www.ctnow.com/news/opinion/letters/hc-letbox0119.artjan19.story
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Readers Respond To Lieberman's Stand On Iraq
January 19, 2002
Is anyone else scared of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman? He wants to homogenize
the entire planet and turn it into an Americanized McWorld [Page 1, Jan. 14,
"Lieberman's Foreign Policy: Propogate U.S. Values"]. Then he wants to take
out Iraq - again [Page 1, Jan. 15, "Lieberman: Beware Iraq"].
His foreign policy plan stinks of good old-fashioned ethnocentrism. Didn't
we do away with that in the mid-1900s, when colonialism ended? I learned in
Sociology 101 that cultural diversity is a good thing.
I wonder which American values Mr. Lieberman wishes to promote: the one
about showing your patriotism by spending money you may or may not have, or
one of the other gems created in this mindless suburban bubble of a
democracy?
And what exactly does he plan to use as a target in Iraq - one of the many
cemeteries filled with the bodies of children dead of starvation, thanks to
our well-thought-out sanctions? Someone please stop this man before he runs
for president.
Allison M. McConnell
Burlington
As The Courant's Washington Bureau Chief David Lightman rightly pointed out,
Sen. Lieberman sounds like a man drawing inspiration from a desire to be
president, rather than from his vast base of knowledge regarding foreign
affairs ["Lieberman: Beware Iraq"].
Possibly because of the soaring approval ratings of our president, Mr.
Lieberman has adopted the sound-bite rhetorical style, which has won over
the American public in recent months.
Our distinguished senator appears to be a willing recruit in the hunt for
"the evildoers," rather than a noble statesman who acknowledges that
empowering the Iraqi people with a sense of sovereignty, uniting their
desire to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, would be a far more
sensible solution.
As the foreign policy experts who were cited in the article stated, the
Persian Gulf War, 11 years of comprehensive sanctions and the bombing raids
associated with patrolling the no-fly zones have not succeeded in
overthrowing Hussein and his accomplices. Will such tactics miraculously
work now?
War is the popular solution. But is it the solution that will inevitably
succeed? Sen. Lieberman knows the answer. But does he have the guts to
gamble his political aspirations and reveal it to the public?
William T. Bromage Jr.
New Haven
Sen. Lieberman's jarring go-it-alone-on-Hussein speech ignores realities.
It would jeopardize or end America's new fragile alliance against terrorism.
Another Iraq invasion would kill thousands, further galvanize Third World
and Muslim countries against America, and ramp up woes in the Middle East.
We have other enemies to crush right now: al Qaeda and Co. If Hussein comes
up in that dragnet, hammer him.
Intelligence agencies confidently report that Mr. Hussein no longer
possesses any launchers for whatever mass-destruction weaponry he may or may
not control.
America has the diplomatic, economic and military juice to bring a rogue
like Hussein to heel by skillfully utilizing or manipulating Russia and
other Iraqi allies, and by reconstruction and normalization of foreign
relations in exchange for genuine arms control and human-rights
improvements.
Existing Iraqi policies injure or kill that country's people - not its
leadership - and Osama bin Laden's apparent Afghan escape proves it's tough
to nail one bad man in a big invasion.
Sen. Lieberman's speech may be dismissed as "moving to the right" of a
popular president so as to further his personal ambitions for higher office,
yet it demonstrates a foreign policy rashness not previously evidenced by
him.
Bruce H. Alexander
Hebron
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