To the editor:

Moammar Gadhafi did not attack the United States. Attempts to justify our attack upon Libya by linking him to past terrorism begs the question of why we did not attack when his activities were freshly initiated.

Unfortunately, Barack Obama has succumbed to the temptation of prosecuting a war to prove his mettle for the next election. This contravenes the position he articulated (with threats of impeachment implied) as a senator to the effect that President Bush’s various incursions were unconstitutional.

Our greatest president, George Washington, warned us against “foreign entanglements.” Thomas Jefferson counseled that we should be friends of liberty everywhere but custodian only of our own.

Beyond legalities, the incompetence of our Libyan adventure is astounding: India, Russia and China have refused to endorse our actions; our temporary Arab allies denounced us within 48 hours of the missiles landing. Ironically, our sworn enemy, al-Qaida, has given us their imprimatur.

We sow now in the Middle East the seeds of our own destruction. The price tag on the missiles we have fired exceeds $100 million (this at a time when we are canceling much needed domestic programs because of overspending on the military and loan systems that defy common sense).

We have reached the point most western empires eventually reach: Our propaganda has collided with our national interest. Smedley Butler, one of our most decorated Marines, put it best: War is a racket.

Certainly there is a time to fight, but this is not it.