Sunday Letters: Stop playing politics in Washington

Two Republicans have now publicly admitted that the current Senate investigation is a deliberate attempt to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. With the help of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, the GOP senators have used selective leaks to imply Clinton lied and is untrustworthy. And, until now, the witch hunt has lowered her poll numbers.

But, as Bernie Sanders said, “enough with the emails” and the charade of a real investigation into the attack in Benghazi. What can we learn that hasn’t already come out from the previous seven investigations? Instead of governing with a majority in both the Senate and the House, Republicans are playing politics and not addressing key issues. Why don’t they do something on raising the minimum wage, equal pay for women, rebuilding infrastructure or passing immigration reform?

Tom Minnerick, Elgin

Lucas’ luck

How wonderful is it being George Lucas! Despite objections from the watchdog Friends of the Parks, the Chicago Plan Commission has just signed off on a 99-year lease of 17 acres of prime lakefront property for a Lucas museum —ABSOLUTELY FREE! On the bright side, the artist’s rendering for the 300,000-square-foot museum makes it appear that the museum will be easy to transform each Halloween. Simply attach two huge googly eyes and you have a gigantic floating lakefront Halloween ghost!

Christine Craven, Evergreen Park

Financial sloppiness

I think it’s good that real firefighters and cops are used on the television shows “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD”; it gives the shows a more realistic look and feel.

That said, it sounds like they need to tighten up the financial sloppiness.

Matt C. Abbott, Edgewater

Investigate Iraq War

My congressman, Peter Roskam, R-Ill., was, unfortunately, not one of two fellow Republicans who have confirmed publicly that the GOP House Select Committee on Benghazi is a partisan effort to derail the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. First up was California congressman Kevin McCarthy, who unintentionally spilled the beans on Fox News, forgetting that neutral, nonpartisan folks were listening in. Next up was New York congressman Richard Hanna, who had the guts and decency to admit the truth of the GOP scheme which has wasted $4 million and dragged on for 17 months with no end in sight.

But Roskam, who values the political glow of his membership on the Select Committee, just called it “a model of seriousness, professionalism and discreetness.” When first appointed to the committee in May, 2014, Roskam proclaimed, “The American public deserves to know exactly what happened with no parsing and no ambiguity.”

Actually, what “the American public deserves to know what happened with no parsing and no ambiguity” is why and how Roskam’s favorite president, George W. Bush, launched his criminal war against Iraq in March 2003, which killed hundreds of thousands, including 4,433 Americans. Don’t look to Roskam to promote such an investigation. He was a huge supporter of that war, both as a candidate for Congress in 2006, and, once in Congress, with every vote for continue funding an unspeakable war crime. The most he could offer when challenged, was “I have a goal that Iraq end well…so we don’t have to go back.” That won’t satisfy the families of the dead soldiers Roskam helped allow march to their doom.

Roskam’s House Select Committee on Benghazi dishonors the families of the four victims. It further erodes confidence and respect for government to use its treasure wisely to advance a critical national agenda. If Roskam wants to investigate the B Word, it should be Bush, not Benghazi.

Walt Zlotow Glen Ellyn

Question of memory

When Rahm Emanuel leaves office, what do you think he will be remembered for?

Leon J. Hoffman, Lake View