Obama showing steady hand in foreign policy; Second Amendment needs 21st-century reworking – March 2 letters to the …

Obama stands tall in foreign policy

Considering the little worries that can keep me awake at night, I cannot imagine the stress President Obama must feel as he faces major foreign policy decisions.

Take Iran, for example. Should the U. S. launch a preemptive attack on Irans nuclear facilities to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons? That would be an act of war with unpredictable consequences.

Should we encourage Israel to attack Iran instead? Again, it could mean war with us being drawn into it. But doing nothing may entail consequences just as grim. Is there a diplomatic way out?

Thankfully we have a president with the maturity and intelligence to consult with the best Middle East experts, listen to their advice, encourage dissenting views and finally choose the path that is in the best long-term interests of the country, as he did when the SEALs went after Osama bin Laden. What a contrast with Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, who convinced themselves that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction!

And how fortunate we are that after determining the best course, Obama has the courage to take the necessary action despite the sniping from his critics, including the pathetic group of Republican presidential candidates who approach all foreign policy issues with belligerent ignorance.

JON MARKLEY Easton

Leaders of Islam should condemn violent backlash

I understand President Obamas attempt to assuage Muslim leaders outrage concerning the burning of several Qurans in Afghanistan recently. The violent, militant extremist groups representing Islam in Afghanistan reacted to the accidental burning with violent attacks that killed several Americans.

I can understand outrage about someone destroying a religions holy books. However, it overwhelms my feelings of compassion when these extremists kill and destroy because of something like burning a Quran.

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Obama showing steady hand in foreign policy; Second Amendment needs 21st-century reworking - March 2 letters to the ...