Rumsfeld deserves praise, not blame

To the Editor,

This is in response to the editor's article on the Opinion page November 19, 2006. In my eyes, Ron Rumsfeld is an American hero. He led the Defense Department ably in Afganistan in rooting out the Taliban. We need to remember the bombing of the Twin Trade towers and our excellent response to that event.

With regards to Iraq, it is a fact that our military, under Don Rumsfeld did a supreme job of defeating Saddam's forces. Many military experts have lauded Rumsfeld's makeover of the Army into a much more responsive force.

We need to remember that the opinion of the State Department was that we would be praised as liberators of the Iraqi people. Since that was not the case and the Shites and Sunnis, both fractions of the same religion, decided after years of Saddam's oppression to battle for control of the country, I cannot see how this was Don Rumsfeld's responsibility. He has been doing his best to solve a problem that is not military, but is political. Politics was not his area of responsibility.

Randy Kuhl did not win by a whisker, but by about 8 percent, which is considerable. It is obvious that his constituency knew the truth about his ability and beliefs. Why would the electorate, which is generally conservative, elect a candidate that is not known in the region, has not produced for the region, and whose views are liberal?

Jerauld L. Holcombe Hammondsport