Dear Senator Bayh:

Another 20 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since our last letter to you, on August 12. The table below details the latest lives squandered in a war we pleaded with you not to authorize. As of yesterday there had been 2,063 coalition troop deaths: 1,871 Americans, 93 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Dane, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 26 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians.

We note that a recent USA Today/Gallup poll found that 54 percent of Americans do not think it was worth going into Iraq. It is a crime -- thus far unpunished -- that the Bush administration so effectively misled the public, and Congress, into thinking otherwise 2½ years ago. We call on you again to condemn the failed, immoral Bush Doctrine of preemptive war and demand the administration articulate a plan for ending the occupation of Iraq.

I write to you today to call for your action to an additional matter.

Earlier this week Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, one-time presidential candidate and a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, went on his national cable TV channel and said U.S. special forces should be sent to assassinate Venezuela's democratically elected president, Hugo Chavez. It would be so much cheaper than another war like Iraq, he pointed out, and it probably wouldn't even disrupt oil exports from Venezuela.

Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld had this to say in response to Robertson's remarks: "He's a private citizen. Private citizens say all kinds of things all the time." Mr. Rumsfeld also stated that the Department of Defense is not in the business of killing foreign leaders.

What was missing from Secretary Rumsfeld's response: Denunciation. Outrage. Any expression of revulsion. Heck, how about, "I want to comment further, but I feel the need to phone the Justice Department now and suggest an arrest warrant be issued for inciting to murder?"

I can think of few days in my life when I've been as sickened as yesterday. What has become of our society when an ordained minister with a following of millions calls for our government to commit a murder in our names? We've seen many legal battles in this country the past few years over the display of the Ten Commandments on public property. Is it possible that Rev. Robertson has never read down to Commandment No. 6: "You shall not murder?" When Muslim clerics called on their followers to kill author Salman Rushdie, the outrage and condemnation that followed was near universal. How is this fatwah from Imam Robertson any different?

Secretary Rumsfeld is right -- private citizens are free to think as they please and are free, in most respects, to suggest whatever they please in regard to public policy. But so are public citizens. When Congress reconvenes, I want you to introduce a resolution condemning Robertson's suggestion and putting our government on record that it will not go around murdering people.

Is that too much to ask?

With great concern,
writing on behalf of Michiana Peace & Justice Coalition, I am,

Ed Cohen