To the Editor:
In early October, at the end of a fact-finding trip to Iraq, VirginiaGÇÖs U.S. Senator John Warner, was widely quoted as follows:
GÇ£I assure you, in two or three months, if this thing hasnGÇÖt come to fruition and if this level of violence is not under control and this government able to function, I think itGÇÖs a responsibility of our government internally to determine: Is there a change of course that we should take? And I wouldnGÇÖt take off the table any option at this timeGÇ¥.
Virginians should credit Senator Warner for his honesty. And just as we should be assured that Warner will be true to his words, we can be certain that his colleague George Allen would never utter such words about the Iraq War.
The reasons are clear. George W. Bush would not speak such sensible, pragmatic words about the Iraq War, and so neither would his follower George Allen. In his 6 years in the U.S. Senate, Allen has voted to support the presidentGÇÖs policies more than 90 percent of the time.
Nor is he as thoughtful, analytical and independent as John Warner. His relationship to the presidentGÇÖs policies, including those that have led the U.S. into the midst of a civil war in Iraq, can best be described as blind allegiance.
Virginia needs a new Senator, a leader who will approach the Iraq War with the same critical thinking and willingness to look at all options as John Warner GÇô James Webb.
Sincerely,
John Romano