We need the truth

Just days after the World Trade Center crumbled to the ground, President Bush made his promise to rebuild and hunt down the "evil-doers." As we approach the fourth anniversary of Sept. 11, we are reminded once again we have troops in Iraq who, according to the recently-exposed Downing Street Memo, shouldn't have been there in the first place. \nAccording to the memo, "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD." I have no argument against the fact Saddam Hussein holds a well-earned spot on the list of history's most evil dictators (he will certainly enjoy a cozy spot in Hell when he gets there). The problem, we know now, is that no evidence supported the argument that Hussein was involved with the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.\nThe memo also states, " ...The intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." In other words, Bush would use any means to achieve his ends, including blatantly lying to the people who elected him to office.\nToday we live in a world divided over the war with Iraq. From the start, Bush pursued a policy of "if-you're-not-with-us-then-to-hell-with-you" in dealing with the rest of the globe. As of July 1, only 34 countries constituted Bush's "coalition of the willing," 14 less than the original 48 of March 2003. While Operation Iraqi Freedom has had its victories, it has been more successful in breeding discontent everywhere. \nMy beef with the president goes beyond sending our troops into harm's way without valid justification. Before the war began, our country had more pressing issues that needed attention: Social Security was in trouble even before Bush started sticking his fingers into it to pay for his pet projects; millions of people continue to live without health insurance (apparently, the health of our own citizens isn't as important); and Osama bin Laden, the true perpetrator behind Sept. 11, continues to reportedly run free in the mountains of Afghanistan. \nGiven the exposure of the Downing Street Memo, why aren't we, the American people, demanding Bush explain himself? The time has come for President Bush to come before his country and explain why he dragged us into this war, knowing full well he could not justify it beyond his personal desire for revenge against Hussein. The Republican majority within Congress virtually guarantees Bush will not face impeachment, but at the very least, the American public deserves to know what Bush's true agenda was when he invaded Baghdad.\nIt may take a significant amount of pressure to get any answers out of the president, but with all that we've been through in the last five years, a little honesty would certainly be refreshing. God forbid Bush should actually apologize (gasp) for what he's done.