This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I agree with both Steve Warren's "Bush-Cheney war crimes" (Forum, April 21) and Barb Guy's "Vets suffer while Bush regards his toes" (Opinion, March 30), but we the people cannot avoid our responsibility that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, et al., gained access to power.
Bush cannot be blamed for being such a limited individual. It is our fault that he was selected president in 2000. After we saw what he was, we then re-elected him in 2004. This primarily reflects the limited worldview of the American electorate and the tepid attempts by the Democrats to displace Bush. We got what we deserved.
The attacks of 2001 and subsequent wars on Afghanistan and Iraq have irrevocably expanded our collective world view — a painful but ironclad education.
Our invasion of Iraq was based on a combination of faulty information and lies, reminiscent of my generation's wars on Southeast Asia. We seem to have broken the mold in 2008 and 2012, but we must be alert.
Parents, teach your children well, because Karl Rove and allied fearmongers are waiting in the wings.
Lewis Downey
Salt Lake City