Stand Up, Democrats

To the Editor:

Are Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel (who's that?) the only Democratic candidates with the moral fiber to demand an immediate end to the Iraq War and an end to all premature, inflammatory talk of war with Iran?

We have a bunch of "Nixons" in the Democratic race who, like Nixon on Vietnam, have "secret" or intentionally vague plans to end the fighting in Iraq. Of course, these timid prevaricators won't make any personal sacrifices or take any political chances, and so our courageous young men and women in the military will continue to die for a lost cause - and for oil, as Dennis Kucinich never fails to point out.

Ending a war short of victory means admitting failure. As a Vietnam veteran, with clear memories of so many in my generation who died for nothing, I won't support any candidate who is afraid to admit that America under President George W. Bush has failed miserably in Iraq. Continued fighting guarantees only death and more terrorists throughout the world.

Now, one of the real villains of the debacle in Iraq, George "Slam Dunk" Tenet, former CIA Director, is blaming everyone else for his own and his agency's catastrophic lies and failures. This slimy enabler is trying to wriggle out from under the rock that's been accurately brought down on his head.

President George W. Bush has collected one helluva bunch of losers, and now they are turning against each other. They deserve each other, but we, the American people, deserve much better.

MICHAEL J. GORMAN

Editor's note: The writer is a retired NYPD Lieutenant and an attorney who served in the Army in Vietnam in 1967-68.