The BDN (editorial, July 26) tells us that August will be pivotal for establishing a direction for the war in Iraq, then goes on to tell us that Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe voted in favor of the recent measure to invoke cloture on the Reid amendment.

While the editorial staff at BDN and Collins would have you believe that Collins and Snowe have similar anti-war positions, nothing could be further from the truth.

While Snowe has stated that the war in Iraq should now be brought to an end, Collins’ position has remained fairly constant. Collins believes that we should remain involved, militarily and otherwise, in Iraq for many years to come. She says “our commitment is not open ended,” while her voting record suggests she does favor an open-ended commitment in Iraq.

Collins voted in favor of the cloture motion, simply, because it was politically “affordable.” At home, (and in the national press), it provided her with some “anti-war” credentials, but she knew there was nearly zero chance that the cloture vote would pass and, if it did, then there was zero chance the Reid amendment could ever become law.

Personally, I’m really tired of seeing bloodshed and billions wasted in pursuit of a goal that no one in Washington (or Baghdad) can define. Furthermore, to me, it looks like our presence in Iraq is simply feeding the terrorist factory with an endless supply of raw material of hate.

It’s a good bet Collins will be hard to find in August, but anyone who is similarly tired of this war should try to roust her out to let her know that it is time to stop supporting this failed policy.

Dana Brown

Brooks