LTTE: Florida Alligator...help me review before I submit...

[jab105]

Ok, Florida Alligator used to be decently liberal (its the college paper at the University of Florida)...hwoeevr, the last three times I've read it, I've seen zero democratic or left-leaning editorials and 4 thats right FOUR right wing ones...

This one takes the cake:
http://www.alligator.org/edit/opinion/issues/stories/041029column.html

So, I want to write a letter back...I need a bit of help, I think I may be a bit wordy...if you can look through it, please make suggestions...thanks!!

Jay Stannard’s claim that Saddam Hussein needed to be held accountable is not the question. Not by John Kerry, nor by John Edwards. Saddam Hussein was a horrible dictator. But, he was encased by sanctions for more than ten years, and all credible defectors stated that sanctions had worked. Most importantly, Saddam Hussein was not a threat to the United States in any way. The real question is why we decided to attack Iraq when we did. Why did we decide to hold Saddam Hussein accountable when we were on the hunt for the real perpetrator of the September 11 disaster, Osama Bin Laden? Why did we force our special forces to leave Afghanistan, where they were fighting AlQuida, who attacked us on September 11, in order to hold Saddam Hussein accountable for being a bad guy, though having no link to any terrorism on the United States? Why did we hold Saddam Hussein accountable before having a plan to win the peace in Iraq? Why did we hold Saddam Hussein accountable without the support of the rest of the world? Why did we cut taxes at the same time we decided to hold Hussein accountable, which has led to a huge debt which we will have to pay for, plus interest, in the future? Why did we use too few troops to hold him accountable, which then led to looting of UN secured weapons sites?

President Bush needs to be held accountable for his decisions. President Bush needs to be held accountable for his decision that as Jay Stannard correctly states has made Iraq “less safe today than it was under Saddam Hussein”. President Bush has to be held accountable forcing the US into a pre-emptive war for reasons that have been proven to be somewhere between half-truths and lies. President Bush needs to be held accountable for disregarding any dissenting opinions in the run up to war, and not having a plan to win the peace. President Bush has to be held accountable for not securing the UN (previously) secured weapons even though the weapons inspectors had warned us that it should be top priority. President Bush needs to be held accountable for the fact that more than three years after September 11, the perpetrator of September 11, Osama Bin Laden, has still not been captured or killed.

[sendero]

1. I think...

.... you have written a well-crafted, persuasive letter with a good balance of the factual and the rhetorical.

I'm dissapointed I couldn't see any obvious ways to improve it :)

[karlrschneider]

2. The first thing I notice in this guy's op-ed is that he lists all the

things wrong with W's approach and goes on to support him. He has to be a schizo.
I think your response is pretty good, I'd give it a B grade...perhaps you could cut down on the number of times you've written "accountable",
that makes it a little hard to scan...and maybe break the last para in two. Maybe after "half-truths and lies"...
JMO
But hey, you're doing something good anyway! :toast:
:D

[jab105]

3. Agreed...thanks...I've cut it down significantly...how bout now?

Jay Stannard’s claim that Saddam Hussein needed to be held accountable is not in question. Saddam Hussein was a horrible dictator. But, he was severely weakened by sanctions which all credible defectors stated had rendered him practically defenseless. Most importantly, Saddam Hussein was not a threat to America in any way. The real question is why we decided to attack Iraq when we did. Why did we hold Saddam Hussein accountable when we were on the hunt for the real perpetrators of the September 11 disaster, Osama Bin Laden and AlQuida? Why did we hold Saddam Hussein accountable before having a plan to win the peace in Iraq?

President Bush needs to be held accountable for his decisions that as Stannard correctly states have made Iraq “less safe today than it was under Saddam Hussein”. President Bush needs to be held accountable for the fact that three years after September 11, the real perpetrator, Osama Bin Laden, is still making video tapes threatening the United States.

[billyoc]

4. "But, he was severely..."

The comma after 'But' seems unneccessary.

Al Qaeda or Al Qaida

Sounds good, though. Nice work.