Downward spiral

There's no denying our troops are caught in a civil war. We need to get out of Iraq and let the newly elected leaders resolve their own differences. As each day passes, there are countless atrocities and fatalities for our troops, citizens and Iraqis. Obviously, a democracy has not been formed at the point of a gun. The Iraqis are not better off today than before we "liberated" them. And yet the Bush administration continues its usual spin and name-calling when others disagree. Admittedly, the Iraq war was falsely contrived by this administration and based on lies and deceit. President Bush continues to humiliate our core of democratic principals. We were once the "good guys." But in the eyes of the world, we are no longer those guys. If Bush gets his way, he will amend the humane principals of the Geneva Convention. This change would condone torture and adversely put our troops at risk. He snubs the wiser judgment of former Secretary of State and military chief Colin Powell and former prisoner-of-war, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Other Republicans have also distanced themselves from Bush's efforts. His ideology is that of a dictator. Apparently, Bush is blinded by his power and arrogance. We, as a people, should not allow our cherished democracy to be destroyed by our leader's downward spiral of inhumanity. Jessica Flynn, Magnolia - Published in the Courier Post, September 23, 2006