Bush war policy an abuse of power

As the Declaration of Independence says, governments derive their powers “from the consent of the governed.” It also says that after “a long train of abuses and usurpations ... it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government.” In other words, elected officials, including the president of the United States, only have that power that is given them by the people. And when elected officials take more power than what was given, there is an obligation for the people to do something to correct that abuse. Soap boxes are being worn out. Politicians are pounding their chests and rattling their sabers over Iraq. But the whole time, not one of them, from the president on down, ever states what victory is to them. What will be called success? How will it be achieved? What is the course? If success is to be complete peace, tranquility and stability throughout Iraq, then a passive war of attrition is doomed to failure. Either the United States has to go back into Iraq full force and take complete control and pacify the country, or we have to pull out completely and let the Iraqis fight it out for themselves. Any other alternative is going to mean hundreds or thousands more American troops being killed, in a futile endeavor. What are the people to do when the president refuses or is unable to answer the question “What is the course?” The answer is that it is their duty to throw off such government. Robert E. Ford Jr., Galloway Township - Atlantic City Press, January 8, 2007