LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

History Is Always 20/20

Much has been said in this newspaper and others blaming President Bush for everything that goes wrong not only in the U.S. but worldwide. I would only ask those who are rabidly anti-Bush and anti-Republican to answer one question: Could you have done the job differently?

Take for example: We know now that Saddam Hussein didn't have any weapons of mass destructions. He defied every UN resolution, and the intelligence organizations of every European country agreed that he had these weapons. Given this input, what decision would you have made, knowing that past history shows a use of these weapons both against Iran and against his own people? Could you have risked the lives of Americans if these weapons made their way to terrorist organizations?

Harry Truman made the decision to use atomic weapons to bring the war in Japan to a speedier conclusion. He had information that the Japanese might be ready to surrender, but no time frame was available and the invasion of Japan might still be necessary to show the resolve of the Allied forces. In the meantime Americans and others were dying daily at Okinawa and other places. He acted on the best information available, and any other actions would have resulted in an outpouring of protest that he was putting the enemy's lives ahead of our troops.

I don't think the American people would have waited for an impeachment; probably a lynching would have been on the table.

I had the honor of working in the White House during 1986-87. Actually, I worked under the White House helping to provide communications for the president and the National Security Council. I also provided communications for the Secretary of State in 1995-97. This gave me real insight into the decisions that the president has to make on a daily basis. He can have all the advisers, take polls and read all the studies available. But the final decision is his and his alone. He makes it, and he is responsible for it.

I don't think the president called up Vice President Cheney one morning and said let's go to war against Iraq today. Nor did the president call up the banks in the country and tell them to give out another 100,000 ARM mortgages. When banks have excess money, they will move it from their vaults into the loan markets. If they have to lower the standards that is a business decision they must make and are responsible for the results.

Many of the decisions that President Franklin Roosevelt made in the 1930s weren't popular then, but history has taken a much kinder view. President Carter was a good man, perhaps too good to be president, but toward the end of the 454-day hostage crisis a decision was made to try to rescue the hostages from Teheran. The result was an ill-fated attempt that showed all the elements of very poor planning.

Several of my co-workers and I were privileged to meet the on-scene commander of the rescue attempt. The group I worked for provided much of the ground intelligence that was used by the rescuers. We were interested in how the information was used and whether it was useful. But one question really said it all. He was asked if the attempt should have been made at all. His response was short and to the point, "The greatest failure is the failure to try."

Criticism was directed at President Clinton for not pursuing Osama Bin Laden more aggressively. He relied on the best intelligence he had and I believe made the correct decision at the time. History, which is always 20/20, indicates that several opportunities were missed.

I believe Harry Truman said it best "The Buck Stops Here."

Harry Chamberlain

Spring Hill

Thank God For Our Firemen

August 23 is a day we will always remember.

After working in the yard and jumping into a refreshing pool, my wife, Ellie, dropped a bomb. She said, "There is smoke throughout the house." We called 911, which we learned was a mistake. (By calling 911, they have to relay the message to the Spring Hill Fire Rescue department - that takes time. We now know to have fire and police numbers handy.) In less than 10 minutes, they were there - hook and ladder, two other fire trucks and an ambulance. There were no less than a dozen firemen dressed in full gear - masks, oxygen, axes, shovels - to fight a house fire.

They searched the house, inside and out, and found the source of the smoke was possibly caused by lightning that hit the attic air conditioning unit.

Frightening? Yes, but also a wonderful feeling to have so many emergency personnel respond so quickly and so ready to face the worst.

Our emergency was one of many calls for help. In turn, don't hesitate to help them when you have an opportunity.

Wesley and Ellie Crail

Spring Hill