Our only hope for victory in Afghanistan was to prosecute the terrorists responsible for the unprovoked attacks of Sept. 11 immediately and terminally. We did not do that.

The previous administration squandered that opportunity, along with worldwide support and sympathy. Instead, our great military was diverted to an oil-fed blood feud with the nation of Iraq.

Our resources were diverted from hunting down and killing those responsible for the coordinated acts of war that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. Under countless false pretenses, our forces were deployed to an oil-rich nation led by a despot.

Now is the time to realize the opportunity for victory in Afghanistan was lost, along with all the heroic service members who died in Iraq, because of the hubris and greed of a select few and their corporate shells.

Erin Michael Finney
Salt Lake City