To the Editor:

Re “U.S. Says Iran Helped Iraqis Kill Five G.I.’s” (front page, July 3):

The Bush administration’s misinformation campaign in the lead-up to the Iraq war, as well as its use of torture, make it difficult to trust any reports that could lead us to war with Iran. There will always be reasonable doubt about the administration’s veracity.

No war should be justified on the basis of doubtful intelligence. The Bush administration has made any military commitment subject to serious doubt.

Because of George W. Bush, the American people can no longer trust the commander in chief. He has jeopardized a central pillar of nationhood.

Daniel J. Urbach
Portland, Ore., July 3, 2007

Note from KBJ: I hope the letter writer isn’t relying solely on President Bush for information. There are other ways to find things out. This was true prior to the invasion of Iraq as well. I think many progressives relied solely on President Bush for their information about Iraq so that, if the war turned out badly, they could blame him for it. (“He misled us into war!”) This is an evasion of responsibility. Each of us must make reasonable inquiries to ascertain the facts before forming an opinion. By the way, Iran denies the Bush administration’s claim that it helped Iraqis kill American soldiers. The letter writer says he doesn’t trust President Bush. Does he trust Iran?