No Regrets in Defense of a Nonexistent Threat

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld doesn’t regret his past condemnation of France and Germany as being “old Europe” because he’s “too old to have regrets” (Feb. 7). Is this convenient, all-purpose caveat also applicable to the families of soldiers returning from Iraq in caskets? Rummy would benefit from a talk with an “old” former secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, about his well-publicized regrets over his disastrous Vietnam policies.

John Holmstrom

Hollywood

Well, it looks like we need to apologize to the French. After TV “news” hacks vilified them, after World War II heroes returned medals won on the beaches of Normandy and senators spent valuable time renaming food items, it appears that Saddam Hussein was not, in fact, an imminent threat to the United States.

Remember, despite the spin we’re getting from the White House, our anger with the French was based on the perception that they were failing to come to our aid when we were in danger. Though we can certainly justify the war to ourselves as a selfless act of liberation, surely no other country is obliged to go along with such an expedition.

Craig Choisser

La Jolla