Editor, The News:

Nearly eight years after a judicial coup, President Bush leaves a greatly diminished America.

We have been morally, diplomatically and militarily diminished by an immoral war of choice, fabricated with hundreds of lies about uranium, mushroom clouds, Sept. 11 ties, al-Qaida ties and WMDs, thus handicapping us from dealing with Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and Georgia.

We have been diminished financially and fiscally by a $3.5 trillion Bush debt caused by tax cuts for the wealthy and war profiteering by KBR.

We have been diminished socially by a 15 percent increase in poverty and 7 million additional without health care.

Justice has been diminished by illegal spying on Americans, torture, politicization of civil rights department, firing federal prosecutors for prosecuting Republicans or not prosecuting Democrats, illegally hiring lawyers from Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University or Robertson’s Regent University for their views.

We have been scientifically and intellectually diminished by Bush politicization of science in climate change, evolution and RU-486.

Bush even lied about Katrina and then botched the recovery.

Yet our local Republican apologists, attacked Democrats and defended the status quo. Darrick Dean said Democrats are trying to “scare people.” Bush has been a merchant of fear.

Joseph Waltenbaugh used terms like doltish liberal intellect and hates Americans for Carter and elitist for Kerry. These are only the most egregious.

Carter was intelligent, moral and is still donating his life to help our country. Kerry served honorably and was wounded, while elitists somehow avoided service. Bush ran to the Guard where it was safe.

Bush is an embarrassment when speaking, admittedly shallow intellectually, told lies resulting in 4,000 American deaths, 30,000 wounded and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead and 4 million displaced.

Unless and until Dean and Waltenbaugh renounce their endorsements of Bush, their judgments are highly suspect.

Tom Black

New Bedford