George Bush is no Bobby Fischer

When facing an opponent much larger than oneself, one inevitably resorts to manipulation. Osama bin Laden's plan for Sept. 11 was to provoke the country into waging a war on their terms.

In the game of chess, it's called a "gambit." Anyone who has played chess knows the sinking feeling: For failing to see the trap, your only option is to lose the queen, or lose the game.

If we leave Iraq, we hand the enemy victory. If we stay, the war will slowly bleed the country until it collapses under a debt we cannot repay.

The president has played the country into quicksand: Whether we stay or try to leave, we only sink further. Simply put, Osama bin Laden is a far better chess player than George W. Bush.

It's enough to make you cry. Peter B. Wilson Simi Valley