The bombast in George W. Bush’s words on “Meet the Press” last Sunday was at odds with the expression on his face. The expression on his face was at odds with itself: wrinkled brow on top (to express earnestness?) and ingratiating smile on the bottom. If I had not known that was our courageous “bring ‘em on” president, I would have thought, “this is the face of a coward.” After the initial shock, I was able to stop looking at his face long enough to listen to what he said.

Even though no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, Bush said the war was justified because Saddam Hussein was “a dangerous madman.” He quoted weapons inspector David Kay as saying, “Saddam Hussein was dangerous with the ability to make weapons.”

This was not, in fact, what Mr. Kay said. He said Saddam’s weapons program had been halted by the U.N. inspections and sanctions, and that Saddam could restart the program only if inspections and sanctions were removed. Think how many lives would have been saved if Bush had permitted the inspections and sanctions to contain Saddam instead of rushing in to bust Saddam up and cover himself with glory as the “war president.” I don’t see how Bush looks the families of the soldiers who have died in Iraq in the face. Come to think of it, he doesn’t.ANN ADAMS

Oak Harbor