Letters

Donald Rumsfeld's Blueprint for War

"I'm all for peace, but sometimes there is no other option except force. If diplomacy fails, are we just going to wait for Saddam to attack first?" ALEX COOK Portland, Ore.

I find it comforting that we have in the Pentagon a man like Donald Rumsfeld [NATION, Jan. 27], who is involved in the details of planning the Iraq invasion, who meticulously reads the documents and demands answers to his questions. Accountability is disappearing from America's feel-good culture. Before young Americans are sent to war, I want someone to ask the tough questions. Rumsfeld is ensuring that the American constitutional concept of civilian control of the military forces is alive and well. DOUGLAS J. BELL Ormond Beach, Fla.

Rumsfeld's blueprint for the invasion of Iraq is impressive. Here's a suggestion: Let's put him on the front line. JINNY LEE Melrose, Fla.

The last time we had an arrogant, know-it-all Secretary of Defense was in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, when Robert McNamara undertook the job of reorganizing the armed services. In the process, he micromanaged the country's military affairs, including the war in Vietnam, which led to the deaths of 58,000 Americans and the wounding of thousands more. How many U.S. servicepeople will die or return home with mangled bodies, and how many Iraqis will be killed, because of Rumsfeld's micromanagement of the war on Iraq? JOHN J. CONNELL San Marino, Calif.

I was deeply offended by your characterization of Secretary Rumsfeld as a "warlord." He is a man who has served his country with dedication for many years. I have been extremely impressed with Rumsfeld's intelligence, poise and wit at his press briefings. His energies are dedicated to the protection of Americans as well as to the freedoms that people like my father fought to preserve. Rumsfeld is a courageous individual. KAREN NORTON New York City

--Some readers found the cover illustration of Donald Rumsfeld downright scary. "That's one of the most frightening pictures ever to appear on your magazine," wrote a Massachusetts woman. A Texan called it "an image of Big Brother." But a North Carolina reader saw something quite different: "Rumsfeld's eyes in your portrait have the same look as those of Michelangelo's David. Some say the sculptor tried to portray David at the moment when he determined to slay the giant. Perhaps Rumsfeld is regarding Saddam or a false Goliath of terrorism."

Bush and the Environment

TIME'S story about President Bush's environmental record neglected to report on the consensus in favor of many ambitious Bush Administration initiatives [ENVIRONMENT, Jan. 27]: cutting power-plant pollution 70%, significantly reducing air pollution from diesel engines, a $1 billion program to clean up hazardous waste, $40 billion to fund land and water conservation on America's farmlands, $4.5 billion in tax credits for renewable-energy technology, and a proposal to create the first new wilderness area in more than a decade. You also failed to examine the reasons for the President's Healthy Forests Initiative: the pressing need to prevent life-threatening, ecosystem-destroying, catastrophic fires by restoring the ecological health of our forests. JAMES L. CONNAUGHTON, CHAIRMAN WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Washington

I doubt that most of us will be able to live long enough to see any reversal of the extensive environmental damage that Bush has done. TOM WOOD Quincy, Calif.