Nov. 18, 2003
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
Last spring you asked Iraq to \bring it on,"" and we went to war. Now looking for peace, we ask the same of you.
If we are to restore the honor of the United States and our own human dignity we must begin with recognizing our own failures. The wounds we inflicted on Iraq are not healing.
Daily we hear of the death of soldiers and civilians. Each day we grow more concerned. We worry when we hear you say you intend to put Iraq on a fast track to autonomy. We worry when we read reports of growing anti-Americanism. We are disappointed that what was meant to be a ""surgical"" war, an ""operation"" for Iraqi freedom, has become a daily death toll, something far less sterile than the medical terms we used for this bloodbath.
Iraq is not a budget number. Iraq is not a matter over which politicians should squabble. Iraq represents our lives lost and our honor tarnished. It did not end with the felling of a statue. It has not ended at all.
Concrete steps must be taken to solve the situation honorably and to leave the country better than we found it. First, we must restore our credibility in the eyes of the Islamic world both by acting humbly and giving Iraq's neighbors reason to help reconstruct. American humility can be our shining light in restoring the trust of the international community. Do we really lose by giving generously or approaching allies with open arms and equal terms?
Second, we must not pretend that the numerous attacks on U.S. troops are ""minor setbacks"" or ""bumps in the road."" The soldiers who have worked and sacrificed in Iraq and the American public deserve better than to see soldiers churned into an environment which has been explained so murkily. We must be honest that rebuilding Iraq involves more than mopping up the casualties. Above all, we must not let this happen again.
What you destroyed, Mr. President, we feel obligated to rebuild. Let us offer the international community our humility, the Iraqis our generosity, and build upon the real American values of peace and shared humanity.
Respectfully,
X
(your name here)
