Sometimes I have to chuckle at the views expressed in the reader response section of the Sunpapers. Do the writers really feel and think the way they indicate in their letters? Take Jay Hilgartner's letter, "Republican letter to Iran is a disgrace" in Friday's paper (March 13). He states, "wasn't their (Republicans') nation building disaster in Iraq enough"? The fact is that the Iraq war needed Congressional approval, and President George W. Bush succeeded in gaining the approval of 77 Democrats (call it consensus building) including Joe Biden, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, etc. along with congressional Republicans.
Unquestionably the "disaster" occurred when President Barack Obama, against the advice of his military advisors, removed all U.S. troops from Iraq, then a calm, stable country (see Mr. Biden's speech declaring that Iraq will be President Obama's greatest foreign policy achievement) which created the vacuum which was filled by the "animals" of ISIS and the problems we have today.
As for the letter. After six years of being ignored, denigrated (see "do-nothing House Republicans and the Party of No") while hundreds of "House passed" bills were concealed in the Democratic Senate leader's desk, no action taken and a president who couldn't negotiate a compromise or achieve a consensus if his life depended on it, Mr. Obama took to the "I have a pen and a phone" method of bypassing Congressional participation. That participation and approval of treaties is required by our Constitution. Any agreement with Iran through executive action is in fact temporary and exists only while that executive is in office. A future president would have to agree. Any future president, including a Democratic President, would have to have Congressional approval in order for a treaty to become law.
This president's inability to negotiate with anybody is both disheartening and a disgrace. He couldn't gain a consensus within his own family. Republicans and many of his own party don't trust him to do the right thing, and they certainly don't trust him in the negotiations with Iran. Henceforth the letter to Iran to make sure they understand that any agreement with Mr. Obama is at best temporary. It's time for this president to stand up, grow up and at least try to become a leader. We have three equal branches of government. The founders of our country wanted a president, not a dictator. Most of us also want a president.
Bud Gibbs