News Journal Letter to Mike Castle

By sticking with Bush’s “stay the course” strategy it is impossible to overstate the contempt that Castle has for his constituents.

Bill Shafarman says it well.

There can no longer be any question that the Bush administration has no intention of ending the disastrous military involvement in Iraq. He simply won’t acknowledge that the war is devastating to Iraqis, with hundreds of thousands dead or displaced from their homes. It is endangering our own security, as confirmed by a National Intelligence Estimate, CIA reports and the fact that nearly 3,700 U.S. troops have been killed. This includes 13 from Delaware so far.

It’s clearly up to Congress to act to end the war.

Our congressional representatives from Delaware can support the president’s stay-the-course policy costing $10 billion a month. Or they can agree with 70 percent of Americans that it’s time to show us a path out. Congress should set an aggressive timeline for withdrawal.

Congressman Mike Castle has refused to even consider a timetable. But anything less is prolonging the horror for the Iraqi people and American troops. On Aug. 28, Delawareans will rally in Wilmington’s Rodney Square hoping to hear Castle tell us where he stands.

Bill Shafarman, Wilmington