Ever since the misguided invasion of Iraq, Mainers need to be watchful for our officials beating drums for war. On the morning of June 30, CNN’s Chris Cuomo interviewed U.S. Sen. Angus King about the Istanbul airport attack.

Sen. King is a member of the Intelligence Committee, so he should know the facts. He linked the birth of the so-called Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. I believe Sen. King’s exact words were “Assad is the irritant that gave birth to ISIS.”

ISIS had its birth in Iraq in the ruins left by George W. Bush. Assad had no role in the birth of ISIS; as a matter of fact, Assad’s being Alawite (a Muslim sect considered an enemy of ISIS), it would be the last thing he would want.

I believe that Sen. King’s statement is completely false and an obvious play, during this period of high fear, for the United States to start a ground war in Syria. Unfortunately, if I am true to my effort, I must conclude that Sen. King deliberately presented misinformation, as ugly as that sounds.

It is similar to the strategy George W. Bush used to justify the invasion of Iraq, which is the true cause of the rise of ISIS. In this time of demagoguery, Mainers do not need a U.S. senator who, I believe, presents misinformation to justify his personal war agenda. Mainers do not need a senator to play on our fears. We have presidential candidates to fill that role.

William Church

Portland