Editorial right on Bush's surge

have my disagreements with The Press from time to time, but the Jan. 11 editorial, “A surge too far/Bush is wrong,” was right on the money. I could not agree with you more. While serving on the USS Intrepid in the late 1950s in the Mediterranean Sea, we were on standby for three days, with our aircraft armed with bombs. Our target was Lebanon. Twenty-four hours a day we waited for word to strike. When the word came, it was to stand down. We almost went to war, and the folks back home didn't even know it. Someone in Washington had enough sense to keep the United States out of that part of the world then. I understand we were looking for weapons of mass destruction, but when they were not found, we should have pulled out then, before more than 3,000 of our people were dead. Now here we go again, sending more troops into harm's way. For what? Oil? Or a president who does not know the history of that part of the world? Or who just can't say it's time to bring the troops home? Or who is poorly advised? Does President Bush not see what he has done to his own party? It's easy for old men to make war and send other people's kids to fight it. God bless them all, and may they come home soon. Anyway, nice job, Press of Atlantic City. James Keeping, Absecon - Atlantic City Press, January 22, 2007