By Harriet Pike Santa Monica
John Legreid’s letter (“What are we willing to pay for war?,” page 4, Jan. 19) is factually incorrect. Nearly all Islamic states refuse to recognize Israel: Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, to name a few. What he calls the “Jewish bloc vote” didn’t support Bush, who got less than 20 percent of that vote both times he ran. So why would the president “pay off?” If anything, he’s paying off his buddies in the oil industry. Halliburton is making millions in Iraq.
The Iraqi war is not about Israel. It’s about O-I-L. The U.S. has historically pursued interests in the Middle East and they were always based on self-interest. Mr. Legreid should read “Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 1, 2007. Read the original PDF.