To the editor:

From the beginning, I have doubted the leadership abilities of President George W. Bush. Now, after watching his first year in office, I am dismayed and embarrassed and have no more patience for his administration’s ill-considered mishandling of foreign affairs.

Bush’s “axis of evil” hyperbole shows a complete disregard for the moderate common ground, and his unilateralist aggressive pro-war policies have shown America to be blindly arrogant, winning us no favor with our allies and further inciting our enemies against us.

Recently, in an AP story published March 19, Bush was quoted as saying, in reference to Afghan and Arab deaths in Operation Anaconda, “These are people who are there to die and we accommodated them.” This type of “tough guy” rhetoric, as if these foreign dead were put on earth by God only so that they might be killed by American military might, is coldly indifferent the value of any human life and demonstrates that Bush lacks both the wisdom and morality of a true leader.

In these troubled times, America is obligated to defend herself and protect her citizens, and at the same time, we must take the moral high ground to work cooperatively to build a more peaceful world. These are difficult times for out national leaders, and is his words and actions, President Bush has shown that he’s not up to the job. I only pray that his combative rhetoric doesn’t lead to more war before we vote him out in 2004.

Megan Miller,

Lawrence