To the editor:

In the State of the Union speech on Jan. 23, President Bush repeated his call to escalate the Iraq war. His proposal to send an additional 21,500 American troops to Iraq is wrong for several reasons. Bush has ignored the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group and of many active and retired generals.

Worse, Bush has defied the will of the American people, who elected many new members of Congress in November because they felt the president’s policies in Iraq had failed and it was time to start bringing our troops home.

Perhaps the plan’s most foolish aspect is the decision to withdraw several thousand troops from Afghanistan and relocate them to Iraq, at a time when the Taliban forces in Afghanistan are poised to launch a new offensive.

We cannot rely on Iraq’s current government to cooperate with our military commanders because Iraq’s leaders are too closely aligned with the radical Shiite militias that are killing American soldiers. We are stuck in the middle of a civil war between sectarian factions that only a political settlement, not military action by U.S. troops, can resolve.

Congress needs to assert its authority under the Constitution to cut off funding for any escalation of the war in Iraq, while providing funding for an orderly redeployment of American forces from that country. Members of Congress should follow the lead of Democrats and Republicans who oppose sending more troops to Iraq, including Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., and Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.

John R. Scheirman,

Topeka