Cross Country: More on Virginia Tech, Iraq

More opinions pieces from other papers across the nation:

Virginia Tech: In the Chicago Tribune, Clarence Page notes that Cho Seung Hui "defied our expectations in the worst ways": "We have a lot to be afraid of in this era of global terrorism and high school shootings," Page writes. "But the young man who took more than 30 lives as well as his own at Virginia Tech did not appear to fit either profile" ... the Houston Chronicle argues that Koreans shouldn't feel a "special shame" because the Virginia Tech shooter was a Korean national: "Koreans have no more reason to feel shame over the shootings than English majors, who share Cho's field of study while he was at Virginia Tech."

Iraq: The Washington Times applauds Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for the points he articulated on Iraq during his appearance on "Fox News Sunday" last weekend; most importantly, the editors write, Graham reminded Americans that Iraq "is a major battleground in the larger war against jihadist terror and that abandoning Iraq in response to car bombings doesn't simply send a message to the Iraqi government; it jeopardizes American interests in our larger national struggle against the Islamists" ... Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin argues that the United States must listen to Marine Gen. John Sheehan and Iraqi politician Iyad Allawi if it hopes to devise "the only plan that has a chance of saving Iraq."

The Boston Globe sees signs that the Bush administration is sidelining hardliners on Iran, and argues that U.S.-Iran relations will be better off for it: "Iran is now facing a stark choice between isolation and cooperation because factions of the Bush administration that favor consensus-building and patient diplomacy have had their way on the Iran dossier."

In the Dallas Morning News, Frank Morris argues that those hurt most by illegal immigration in the United States are African-Americans: "A sizeable portion of the black community continues to struggle with challenges of joblessness, incarceration and disparities in health and education. Though mass immigration is certainly not the sole cause of these problems, it is indisputably one of the major contributors -- and something we actually know how to fix," he argues.

The Miami Herald, pointing to a new report detailing the poor treatment of America's wounded veterans, accuses both congressional Democrats and the Bush administration of neglecting the troops while attempting to prove "who really supports" them.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune criticizes FEMA for its recent announcement that it will miss a June 1 deadline to draw up a new emergency response plan for national catastrophes. "That delay is worrisome as well as frustrating. FEMA's bungled response to the 2005 disaster is notorious. It's hard to understand why the agency can't deliver a new plan that takes into account lessons from Katrina in time for the 2007 hurricane season."

The Chicago Sun-Times calls for the legalization of medical marijuana: If legalizing it "means all those suffering from glaucoma and MS will be able to reduce their pain, if cancer patients will be able to alleviate their nausea or vomiting, if AIDS patients will be able to regain their appetite," denying "it to the sick borders on cruelty."

By Rob Anderson |  April 18, 2007; 7:50 AM ET
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