Letters: Don't credit Bush for Arab Spring

A recent letter writer attempts to rewrite history by claiming that former President George W. Bush relentlessly hunted down Osama bin Laden ["Good riddance, Gadhafi," Aug. 29]. Reality check: When Bush had bin Laden cornered in Tora Bora, he dropped the ball and failed to order an assault, resulting in his escape. Then Bush directed his full attention and military resources to the totally unnecessary Iraq attack.

When asked in March 2002 about pursuing bin Laden, Bush said, "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

I also find it bizarre that the writer credits Bush's attack on Iraq with bringing on the Arab Spring. I see it differently, and I'm sure the thousands of dead and more than 4 million Iraqi refugees would agree. Bush's Iraq war has left a trail of death, destruction, torture and hatred.

It was the act of one brave Tunisian fruit vendor who set himself on fire that sparked the Arab Spring, not the shock and awe of Bush's horrific war.

Rich Viva Arcery, Massapequa
 

President Bush did not "relentlessly" hunt down Osama bin Laden after Sept. 11, 2001. Instead, he turned his attention to pursuing nonexistent weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. If anything, bin Laden was given a lease on life for another decade.

Decades from now, the Bush administration's performance will be judged as to the ultimate results of this war, "Operation Halliburton." Will Iraq flower into a working republic? Or will it degenerate into a radical, terrorist regime? It is too soon to tell.

At any rate, historians will view the initial reasoning for the Iraq invasion with much justifiable skepticism. Compare the Obama administration's transparency in the Libya campaign to former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's "mushroom cloud."

Nick Santora, Roslyn Heights