Only ourselves to blame

After reading letters in today’s paper (Jan. 2) I expected to see guard towers, barbed wire, storm troopers and tanks outside. However, all was quiet on the western front!

Then I read Charles Krauthammer’s column. We have not followed the U.S. Constitution when it comes to WAR, which is an all-out commitment of the entire nation. We the people must read the Constitution and insist that our elected leaders follow it.

Our founders wanted war to be difficult to declare because they knew its cost firsthand. That is why they gave that exclusive power to Congress, who failed us by punting it to the president. Despite the belligerent bravado of the Bush years, we are not truly at war with anybody. We were attacked by a ragtag bunch who took advantage of our stupidity to crash planes into buildings in New York and Washington.

After seven years of double talk, squandered lives, violations of U.S. and international laws, we were hardly closer to bringing justice to those who attacked us. In fact the situation is far worse as the threat has spread to nuclear-armed Pakistan. We must blame only ourselves for the inept, half-hearted effort we have used so far.

David T. Webb

Spokane