Editor,
The current Iraq fiasco and President Bush's reluctance to admit the reality of his great blunder is proof positive that no one man, no matter what his real motives may be, should have so much power over life and death decisions. In part because of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, Bush has power not only over Americans, but also the poor people of Iraq, who have been victimized by an unprovoked invasion, occupation and five years of death, destruction and misery - all allegedly in the name of democracy.
It all really comes down to a basic and constitutional issue that we the people need to address and decide, preferably by a public referendum. This is an old custom of our democracy, actually used in days gone by, before all the special interest groups brought their millions to Washington, D.C.
When we elect our leaders, especially the president, are they elected to serve our will, or do they think they have carte blanche to determine it for us? With Bush, it has become crystal clear that he cares very little what polls, study groups, members of Congress, veteran military advisers, the CIA, the public or his own advisers think about Iraq. He continues to let people die by the day, rather than admit his mistakes. As the self-proclaimed decider of America, I don't see much difference between Bush's rogue, cowboy attitude and that of Kim Jong Il, Saddam Hussein and other dictators.
I could just imagine what would happen if the CEO of a Fortune 500 company ignored the board of directors or claimed to be more intelligent and qualified than voting shareholders in deciding the fate of the company. If Bush cannot be brave enough to admit his mistakes and make immediate amends, he needs to resign or be impeached - period. America belongs to us, the people, and our foreign policies cannot be dictated by a single man - especially one who never placed himself in harm's way or ever put his life on the line for our nation. He is one of the least qualified people to determine how our problems in Iraq can be resolved, as his lack of knowledge, wisdom and ethics put our troops there in the first place.
It's time for Congress to step up to the plate and take back all the life and death authority abused by Bush over the last six years. Legislators should remind us that their six-figure salaries are paid to ensure we have some real checks and balances in our government.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Enough is enough already. A man in denial is not fit to lead our nation, and his removal is long overdue. The world and our troops deserve and need this gift.
Bruce A. Gorcyca
Daily Lobo reader
