In his letter, Sept. 21, Phillip Webber Sr. defends President Bush’s decision to wage war in Iraq, and asserts that, in fact, it was the Democratic presidents of the last century who led the U.S. into many unprovoked conflicts.

Webber has, at best, a weak grasp of modern history. For example, he chastises FDR for declaring war on Germany in 1941 because Japan had been the aggressor. In fact, Germany declared war on the U.S., in response to America’s declaration of war on Japan (Germany and Japan had a pact).

He also cites Truman and Clinton as examples of hawkish Democrats.

I might remind him that the Korean Conflict (Truman) was a U.N. action, and the fighting in Bosnia (Clinton) was a NATO effort to halt ethnic cleansing. Hardly warmongering.

It is true that President Johnson embarked on a misguided war in Vietnam.

President Bush has repeated that error in Iraq.

Webber also asserts that Bush has “crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida …”

Has he seen the news from Afghanistan lately?

Finally, unbelievably, and quite out-of-the-blue, he finishes with the statement that Barack Obama has never served in the military. So what? Is that a prerequisite for the presidency? If need be, let’s remember Bush’s heroic service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war.

For years, I’ve wondered why Bush’s 30 percent approval rating has been so high.

Those ignorant of the facts still support him.

Michael Duff, Auburn