It's past time to 'cut and run' (declare victory and withdraw). 

It is probably one of THE most important issues of the day yet so many rate it in the mediocre range. Gosh, there are anti-war demonstrations in Washington, just like the liberal-dominated 1960's! Well, maybe not quite so many protestors but you'd never know it by the media coverage, you'd think these were bigger than the Vietnam protests! The fact is that the anti-war movement in the US is barely on life support but for the overblown media coverage of tiny events like Cindy Sheehan's inconsequential and incoherent demonstration against President Bush. Nobody cares except for a few left-wing zealots (most of whom actually ARE American journalists) who would protest ANY war (except one started by Bill Clinton) and ANYTHING George Bush has done. The shameful truth is that while they broadcast daily the body count of American Servicemen, no such body count was even recorded when Clinton went into Kosovo, in similar defiance of the United Nations. How quickly they forget. What sickens me is the tone of "alright, another 5 Americans killed! Man, I can't wait to get to 2,000! How 'bout you? " by the American press and the liberal wing-nuts. I'm not crazy about the War in Iraq. But, I much prefer IT to the lame-ass reaction of Clinton whose blustery rhetoric was as empty as his soul turned out to be. "We'll bring those responsible to justice! " he assured us, and promptly did absolutely nothing because the stupid poll numbers wouldn't budge. Now, in contrast, you have an American President who has unleashed the American Military on those who slaughtered so many innocents on 9/11/01 and in a dozen other incidents under Clinton's watch. The daily casualty count should be a reminder of what dangerous times we live in, what a murderous and vile enemy we face (who kill innocents and behead hostages) and how desperately they would love to bring the carnage to our own shores and conduct it here. But no, it's used as a tool to weaken the will of those enjoying the safety provided by the sacrifice of those brave soldiers in harm's way. Keep protesting, useful idiots, and keep publicizing the body count. Great journalism.

no one in or around iraq wants democracy.I think all bush wants is to take there.For some reason we are all ways friends with the dictators.If u google search a pic of Rummy and sudamm they are shaking hands.(rummy is our secratary of defense).

We have made the country worse off than before we came. Hundreads of thousands of needles deaths for nothing but oil. Two Thirds of the U.S. soldiers think this war has been mishandled and there is no end to it. There are so many different groups all fighting each other we are just another group fighting a never ending war. Even if we establish a democracy it will never work the people will revolt against it like they have been doing. We have screwed Iraq we are training there soliders so we can leave and let them fight the war we began. A huge mistake, we could be doing something useful in the world like helping darfur.

This is the most pressing issue we have. We must declare victory and withdraw.

As long as U.S. soldiers are being killed and injured, how can any American say this is not important?

  This video footage of the new UN Secretary General's visit to Baghdad tells you everything you need to know about Iraq. 1) Loud explosions nearby can make your suit pants smell funny. 2) It's friggin' hillarious when a fully-grown Korean man runs thru the Green Zone frantically screaming "Where my ruggage?! Where my air prane?! I go home now!" and 3) Kyra "Lies with Karl Rove" Phillips and the rest of the western TV newspublicans (Republicans disguised as news people) are now desperately trying to sell the war in Iraq as a roaring success. Studies have shown that you people are very likely to believe them, if they say it often enough and loudly enough. Those exact same studies have also shown that the FOX News viewers ALREADY believe that Baghdad is like a Jesusy cartoon happy-time funner version of Disneyland - but without all the crowds.

 You people never even knew about the anti-terrorism guy burning himself up directly in front of the White House, with hundreds of spectators and paid news reporters standing there watching him - so how in the hell are you going to find-out that Baghdad is degenerating into a nation-sized insane asylum without Nurse Ratchett there to hand-out it's meds?

My Prediction: The next thing you know, we'll have a former member of the Hitler Youth disguised as a religious leader - using CNN as a platform for telling us all that we really need to think about hell a lot more and that we need to use hell and the devil to scare our children into being better people. Of course, all of this crazy shit must be done in the name of the Lord's boundless eternal love for us all, because we are his personal ant-farm full of horribly evil, natural born-sinners. In Jesus W. Bush's Holy name, Amen.

..

I feel that it would be right for me to comment on this subject, as I have served in the Gulf alongside the US Military. When I was in the Gulf, there was undoubtedly weapons of mass destruction and I was and to a point still am agreeable with our presence there: But I feel our time there is past gone!!!!! Sadam is no longer in control and apart from the separatist, which really is the reason for prolonged military presence. I feel we should be departing and just monitoring from a distance! Too many lives have been lost on both sides of the allied force and it's about time our countries pulled our troops BACK! I have just finished watching many of the Tributes on "You Tube " and to be frank it made my heart sink. So many lives, Young and old have slipped away and families have suffered so badly. I'm very proud of our troops and they deserve so much respect for there obedience to their orders and their flag! My heart is disturbed that the UN or somebody has not actioned the troops to leave. To all those who have tried to bring peace and stability to this region my heart goes out to you!!! But it's time for these fine individuals to come home!!!! Blair and Bush please stop the madness and free OUR troops!!!! Updated due to spelling 03/23/2007 4:19pm

Let's not ignore the hard lessons still being learned in the "War on Iraq".Let's not be distracted by new and very similar rhetoric about "threats" from other countries.Let's remember clearly the lies and distortions we are still paying for,and let's not allow more of out Troops to be put in harms way by the same swindlers behind the Iraq quagmire.Is the current situation the work of people who get their facts straight or level honestly with us about their reasons for waging war?Were our troops properly trained and equipped for the situation they were put in?Did innocent people need to die by the thousands to remove one minor despot?Aren't we already under a crushing debt?How many more will DIE thanks to a "leader" who REFUSES to clean up his own mess? No exit strategy.NO WMDS.No connection to BinLaden(not for Hussein,anyway).Like Roger Daltrey sang,I hope we "Don't Get Fooled Again".

i have been against this war from day 1. extremely pointless; people die nearly everyday. there isn't even an exit strategy. there are much bigger threats to our country, specifically our domestic problems. while i support our troops regardless, anyone who voted for that war has accountability and is responsible...and that goes for both sides such as losers like h.clinton, kerry, bush, frist and so on......

A very insignificant war, except to those brave Americans who are forced to be there, and to their families and friends who wish they could come home. Not important compared to issues much closer to home. 2 stars.

Iraq was not a threat to the US. They were not involved in 9/11. "Bush and Co." invaded so that we could fight the terrorists abroad. We needed a front line that wasn't New York or LA. Unfortunately for them, Iraqis don't get to vote in American elections, or our war would have been held someplace else.

Unwinable.

"Quick! Invade another nation that had no ties to 9-11! Hurry! The American people are catching on!! Start picking on the Chinese! Do something!" The tighter you squeeze, the more it slips through your fingers. . .the mask is slipping off, kids. . .

Must I point out that I agree with what up dog. It's possible we might be dead right now whithout the war on Iraq. We now know that they have weapons. Pulling out of Iraq before the weapons are found will make it much worse.

Our military lived up to the highest standards it set during the combat operations in Iraq during March and April of 2003--indeed we do have the greatest fighting force in the world today. We can still debate the basis of this war, the bottom line is that now we're there and we need set metrics as Don Rumsfeld would say, for success here. What do we define this as so we can in turn begin pulling out of there. We need an honest assessment of our actual strategic position there. The real battle we face today is for support of the Iraqi people and for the legitimacy of the regime that we hope will bring stability and freedom to the region. That is a goal that I'm certain we all share at this point. The question remains, how do we go about it? The presence of 135 thousand troops in Iraq along with the allegations of torture has really damaged our credibility with the people. The War on Terrorism hasn't been advanced at all by this cause. Iraqis also have had bad experiences with European occupiers in the past--the British left Iraq after it became difficult to administer and control. Our goal in Iraq has always been to ensure that this country, which has the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world, trades its petroleum with US dollars as opposed to Euros--effectively we did this with the aim of controlling oil prices. However, this might be rather unrealistic. With each passing day it becomes evident that this political instability is going to cause some major political blowback. Considering the international finacial and economic conditions, Iraq might just be inclined to switch back to the Euro, knowing that the US blow all of its energy back in 200-04 trying to enforce the occupation. We can still head it off now--internationalizing the operation is the first step. We can still maintain a foothold in the region by allowing for a mixed currency band system for trading petroleum in return for shouldering the costs of rebuilding that country and establishing a reasonably stable government. This is a reasonable compromise to make that will help restore our credibility in the international community. We have to also live up to our pledge of handing over sovereignty to the Iraqi government as soon as possible--the elections in January will be our first chance to begin troop reductions in the region. From there we have to pursue the real war on Terrorism, which doesn't necessarily consist of going after the states that sponsor them entirely. Terrorism can be defined as any violent act by a group meant to kill or harm innocent civilians. Organizations like al-Qaeda which operate across national boundaries are criminal syndicates that need to be destroyed--they are an imminent threat. However the question of how to go after them is for another post. The Bush administration's ideals for the region are fine, however their execution and intent aren't helping in achieving the goal of a more free and open Middle East.

It never ceases to amaze me just how gullible some people are. I think the media, run by the most powerful business corporations ever, might be the reason behind it. Rupert Murdoch, that most hateful of corporate beasts, roams the world, not with fact and objectivity but with opinion and rhetoric. This war was about Bush and his 'cabal' of advisors and about that alone. If only the invasion had been for altruistic reasons alone - to liberate the Iraqis from a despot- the whole world would have been in support. The fact that they weren't must surely tell the American people something. It is most certainly an issue that is of major importance to the US now and a completely new way of looking at it is in order.

Whether one supports or does not support the U.S. intervention in Iraq, this issue is clearly a five star matter. I find it a bit odd that only few comments are dated relatively recently now that we have the benefit of hindsight (though that can be a trap into subjectivity). Anyway, the Iraqi War was and remains clearly divisive. Many have debated whether Iraq was an imminent threat; however, that question was largely academic in today's world of weapons of mass destruction and defense agreements (ie an imminent threat to an ally is an imminent threat to the U.S.). Many also confuse the ultimate question regarding WMDs. The question isn't whether we ultimately find WMDs; the question is whether it was reasonable to believe that Iraq had WMDs given what we knew and the intelligence available (even if some was conflicting), and if so, what was the proper course of action. Whether it was reasonable to believe that Iraq had or would obtain WMDs at the best opportunity isn't really a matter of reasonable dispute. As practically everyone agreed that Iraq wanted weapons of mass destruction (at least), the debate boiled down to what to do about it. I was personally against the action until I realized that 1) doing nothing was not an option and 2) imposing inspections with a credible threat of force (ie American troops in the vicinity) into the foreseeable future was even more expensive in life, limb and property in the long-term than taking direct action immediately. Direct military action is not a light matter as everyone agrees that such action should always be the last resort; however, this just begs the question as to when that point has been reached. Moreover, some reasonably argue that Iraq committed an act of war with its assassination attempt on George Bush Sr. Nevertheless, make no mistake that this was not a U.N. action. The U.S. cannot really argue that Iraq was in breach of U.N. agreements since only a party to such an agreement can declare a violation. In the end, this was and remains an action by the U.S. and our allies. Also make no mistake that this was not an action to get American control of Iraqi oil supplies. This is clearly a red herring by the war opponents as first, Iraqi oil could have been obtained much cheaper just by purchase and second and the U.S. doesn't get much oil from Iraq anyway (though some of our allies do and Iraqi supply does affect the market price). Finally, some comments have taken a stab at Bush over the recently proposed cuts in veterans' benefits. Government spending must be cut across the board (in general), and I know of no veteran who wants to bankrupt the country because of excess spending, including veterans' benefits. We must all take the hit when necessary and appropriate. The bottom line is that when analyzing the Iraqi War (and all issues for that matter), one must always look at things with the limitations of foresight at the time a decision was made, not with the luxuries of hindsight.

I don't like to see anything about this. Having been in the Marines I hate watching the news anymore because there is a chance that my friends might show up as killed in action. But they know what they are doing and believe wholeheartedly in what they are doing, just like I do. Anybody who wants to downplay the importance and sacrifice should look on any of the multitude of sights that will show you the pictures of the fallen. Look closely, and if you want real heros, they are all there. People like Lcpl Blair of the United States Marines, a personal friend of mine who died in the initial invasion. Look at my friends face and tell me that this is not important. I dare you. UPDATE: I would bet that anybody who rates this unhelpful won't have the nut to go look my friend in the eyes. I don't have to name names. Everybody knows who you are. UPDATE TO THE UPDATE:A few people are pissed enough about this post to go and rate all my comments of late as unhelpful. If you are mad then I acheived what I came here to do. Semper Fi! --Corporal Michael James Whyman, USMC (look, numbah's real name!)

The way I see it, we went after Bin Laden after he did what he did on 9/11. I think Bush decided that since we were over there anyway, we may as well get Saddam too. So the next thing we hear is that Iraq has WMD and Saddam was in it with Bin Laden on the 9/11 attack. He declared war on Saddam because as he said on TV He's the one that tried to kill my daddy. Poor child. When no WMD's were found he decided we were there to free the Iraqi. I support our military, but Bush has used them to take WMD's into Iraq. If you notice, the only thing they have tried to protect over there is the oil fields.

It's been almost a year since Saddam Hussein was thrust from power by the U.S. and its allies. Now the big stink is where are the WMD's? They may have never existed. They may still be hidden somewhere. Who knows? Who cares? What we do know is that Hussein was trying to develop nuclear weapons and we didn't want to WAIT until he was an imminent threat before we took action. It would be too late by then. Many of you are saying that posession of WMD's was the reason for going to war. That may well be the case but remember - the documents siezed by the UN and allied intelligence stated that Hussein had WMD's so we know they existed on paper. Removing Hussein had to be done. Let's take a look at what has happened since then: On the downside there is still a resistance in Iraq trying to thwart our efforts to rebuild and stabilize the country. On the flip side Libya's president Muammar Qadaffi saw what happened to Hussein and decided to come clean with the U.S. on his nuclear weapons development. (That WAS Libya's president admitting that he had a nuclear weapons program, wasn't it? He knew we'd come in and open up a can of whoop-ass.) In Pakistan, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of their nuclear program admitted to selling Nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and North Korea. Now that people see that the US is serious about our resolve to protect our interests and make the world a safer place they've decided that they don't want to be on our bad side. By wiping out Hussein we killed 2 birds (maybe 3 or more) with one stone. North Korea already admitted to having Nuclear missiles after the fact so that is no surprise but Iran is a different story. They know they are going to be investigated by us and the UN and maybe even have millitary action taken against them. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

Oh, is there a war in Iraq? Saddam Hussein has been defeated and there is a new government. The war is over. It's nation building now.

Evil men pursuing oil.

What a mess!

This should never have even started. G.W. only invaded because he had to finish what his father couldn't. Did it ever occur to people that it makes America seem like terrorists? Isn't the defintion of terrorism basically 'invading a country to inflict force'? No, I didn't take that defintion from a dictionary, but that's the basis. And Iraq hasn't even turned around yet. It's still laying in ruins with bombs still exploding and people are still dying. It's pathetic that people still support Bush after this whole affair.

if bush didn't decide to go to war, millions of people in major cities might be dead cause of saddam. we live in a free country so that doesn't mean some guy should try to take over da world with weapons. i hope they nuke his brains out.

This issue is so controversial- it is even so controversial in my mind that I cannot seem to make up my mind on this. While I initially had a pre-disposition of being unsupportive of the war, I now seem to agree with it more and more. However, I do not agree with the methods in which we are using to instill democracy in Iraq. We sent our boys over there to fight a war against a murderous tyrant who "possessed nuclear weapons" which he shockingly did not use even when he came-a-knocking on his door. I'd say when things get tense- that'd be when I'd use my nuclear and chemical weapons, wouldn't you. No, instead he runs off into exile. Makes a whole lot of sense to me. Meanwhile, the other two nations in the Axis of Evil who pose a greater threat (notably North Korea) know that they are next and are scrambling more than ever to defend themselves in the event of an American declaration of war on their nations. I really like how Bush was able to convince much of this country to support the war by magically pulling this "Sadamm was responsible for 9/11" lie out of his hat. I suppose that next the dictator of North Korea will have also had a hand in 9/11; perhaps Al Gore was involved and talking with Bin Laden in his cave; hell, maybe even Larry Flynt was involved. President Bush using 9/11 as an excuse to go into Iraq really angers me. I have become more supportive of the war over time, but I believe that he can find better ways of convincing Americans that he is right than lying. And the recent budget that the President proposed called for a significant reduction in funds for Veteran's Affairs, so our soldiers who fought overseas and risked their lives will not have proper care when they return from the madness. Meanwhile, Bush thinks that another tax cut is more important than taking care of our troops and protecting our troops. Sounds like someone has a bit of prioritizing to do here. I agree that this was probably the right thing to do for the sake of freedom and the will of mankind, but the motives for doing it and the methods in doing it are questionable. First we were going to go into Iraq to stop him from using his WMD; then we were going to go into Iraq because he had something to do with 9/11; and then we were going into Iraq to free the Iraqi people of a hideous monster? So which is it Mr. President? Have you any proof that Hussain was involved in 9/11? Where are the WMD? Can you be so sure that all Iraqis will welcome us with open arms (espescially those whose families were perhaps killed by our bombings). The Koran is a book of laws which Arabs live by- I do believe that they want democracy over there, but by their own terms. I believe that President Bush intends to instill Iraq with his idea of democracy, and not theirs, which will cause some trouble. And as far as the U.N. goes- I really think that it has become so ineffective over the years, putting Libya on the Human Right's Commission and giving France a veto power so their ungrateful jackasses can be spiteful and go against the war simply because of its grudge against the same United States that saved them in WWII. I surely hope that our troops return from Iraq safely and that Mr. Bush is indeed right about this war and its outcomes. God bless you and have a happy Easter!

It was very necassary and more than justified.

Terrorism sucks, so does war. Lets compare both of them; terrorism: loss of life, use of weapons, destruction of buildings. War:loss of life, use of weapons, destruction of buildings. The only difference is that one is legal.However, I have to give the President credit, getting rid of Saddam Hussein was a good reason, and the only legitimate reason for this war. Too bad we didn't do this back in 1991. It's too bad life was loss on both sides.

Bush is not invading a sovereign nation. He is removing a criminal from power. What the anti-war people need to remember is the fact that Saddam Hussein is a CRIMINAL, first and foremost. The US has every right to pursue its own self defense and to choose who their enemies are, without asking for approval from anyone, including the UN. The way I understand it, war on Iraq is OK but ONLY if the UN approves? This means that the anti-war folks are NOT opposed to war; they are opposed to the United States acting in their own self-interest. Sorry, but we live in an INDEPENDENT, FREE NATION and have every RIGHT to choose our own enemies. A hodge-podge of dictatorships, communists, socialists and various non-freedom loving nations (read: your UN) have NO moral right to dictate the actions of the US. The UN is a conglomeration of anti-freedom states with LIBYA in charge of their "human rights" commission! That ALONE should make any reasoned person question the UN's motives… the UN is comprised of dictators, and they are trying to protect one of their own. As far as the US goes, Bush MUST finish the job this time. Iraq must be liberated from Saddam the murderer, and the nation of Iraq must become an example of individual freedom for the rest of the Middle East.

I'm writing this in the aftermath of most of the war. Everyone around the world is glad that Saddam Hussein is gone, or if they have any humanity they should be. What I'm having a problem with now is how Iraq is being handled after the fall. It seems the safest place to be in Iraq right now is an oil field. Looters have ransacked museums, hospitals, government buildings and private homes with many civilian casualties and loss of property. Where was the military as all this was going on? Why were the oil fields secured within hours of obtaining them while humanitarian facilities were destroyed with little US intervention? The administration keeps saying over and over again that they are not there for the oil, but how can they explain these facts? Also, as someone with a degree in Ancient Civilizations, I was horrified to see the destruction of the Iraq museum. Those were priceless treasures, some almost 5,000 years old. What a tragic end. These artifacts were part of Iraq's cultural heritage along with humanity's heritage since Iraq is considered to be the cradle of civilization. Many of you probably say, big deal, national security is more important. Well, so far no weapons of mass destruction have ever been found and it's common knowledge that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, so I'm having a hard time finding much substance to the national security spin. So far the only good thing about this war is the fall of an evil man. The administration also lied to many archaologists around the world who expressed concerns about museum artifacts saying that they would be preserved. They lied because the military just turned a blind eye and allowed the looters take what they wanted. A friend of mine gave an interesting arguement for this saying that one way invading powers gain control over the invadees is to erase their history. Could that be why the military let this go? Why such a disregard for the human side of Iraq? The protection of the oil fields and the plunder of museums and hospitals is a real problem for me and I have not been given a satisfactory response. UPDATE: Yesterday the chairman of the Presidential Panel of Cultural Property, Martin Sullivan, resigned in outrage that the administration did not follow through on promises to preserve the museums of Iraq. Now Interpol and the FBI are going to Iraq to try to recover what they can. Rumsfeld stated that there was nothing they could do to prevent the looting. So, Donny, you're telling me that the most powerful military on earth could not stop a bunch of rag-tag looters? I'm not saying kill them, but tear gas or rubbers bullets and a will to uphold a promise to keep the world's heritage safe would have sufficed If the US is going to topple a government, they owe it to the people of that country to provide stability and safety in the meantime. Where was the planning and foresight? I'm very disappionted that this issue was not given more consideration, not to mention the fact that it is a violation of the Geneva Convention!

war is a scary thing. i have friends my age (19) fighting over ther right now. this thing could escalate into something bigger but i hope not. but never the less our troops are over there right now FIGHTING. and i hope they win and come home safely. i just want this thing to be over with.

For all you anti-war idiots, don't forget what happened on 9/11, 3000 Americans tragically lost their lives for no reason, I for one am not waiting for Saddom or any other anti-american country to try something on our soil. Lets get him and lets get him now.

Thank God for an administration with enough love for Freedom, God and Country to step up, against world opinion, and do the RIGHT thing. The people of Iraq have suffered long enough under the Sadam's demonic tactics. We should have put Sadam out in '91. Well, as my mother used to say: "better late than than never". It's time to pray for our leaders (wisdom), our troups (safety) and the innocent victims of Iraq (freedom at last. As for the financial cost... I'm sure the Iraqis will gladly foot the bill for all of this... (Lord knows they have the oil)... when they FINALLY TASTE FREEDOM... that is, of course, if we don't bow our knees to political preasure and correctness.

Silly, silly people. Here's the real story: There is a snot load of oil under a country that happens to be called Iraq. The fact that it is called Iraq is irrelevent. It is full of Arabic people who call themselves Iraqis. This too is irrelevent. They have a brutal despot controlling their lives called Saddam Hussein. This, not surprisingly, is also irrelevent. The only thing relevent is the oil and the fact that our nasty dicator preferred to sell it to European oligarchs, rather than American. Yes kids, this is an inter-oligarchical conflict fought between American oil concerns and European oil concerns. They fight the war using, as proxies, nation states and the lives of many young people of those countries. The men and women who comprise these oligarchies are not really human in the way most of us understand. They are rich, powerful and utterly callous. It is for them, not the nation, that the soldiers fight and for them that so many people will be killed and maimed in this war.

sorry guys, you think going to war with iraq has just cost you your alliance with the french? believe me, in pretty much every country people are turning against america. britain is your closest ally, right? your just lucky blair is in charge, because he must be the only one left in the whole country who supports america. everyone else here is against virtually all of americas greedy, ignorant policies. we brits, all europeans and the rest of the world now realise just why bush blocked the international criminal court unless it granted all american citizens automatic immunity from being tried for any crime, because the entire american military and government would be imprisoned. illegal invasions, guantanamo bay... while we're on the subject of guantanamo bay: did anyone else hear bush and rumsfeld complaining that iraq was breaking the geneva convention? they must be joking, eh? the iraqis showed a little bit of them on camera, what does th US gov. do to their captives in guantanamo bay? hypocrites, greedy liars...eugh, makes you sick. and americans should be worried about the consequences of this war, the stars and stripes being burnt is not something that just happens in the middle east anymore. go into the streets of london and you will see the american flag being burnt by english boys, girls, men and women, anti-war protests just thinly disguised anti-america rallys. and this is in the capital of your 'closest ally'.

The hypocrisy of Liberals really shines through on this subject, as evidenced by many of the opinions on this page. Isn't liberalism about ALTRUISM??? That has been the rallying cry for years. That is why we as a nation are stuck with bloated, dead-end programs like social security, Medicare, and welfare. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for helping people in need, but then again, that could be one reason to go to war with Iraq, right? Was it not just the other day that a group of human shields left the country because they realized that Saddam is truly evil incarnate, putting people through plastic shredders, feet first, to ensure that they could feel the pain and the bystanders could hear their screams. Saddam's connection to terrorism is not nearly as ambiguous as liberals would have people believe. Read Laurie Mylroie's book, "Study of Revenge, - Saddam Hussein's Unfinished War Against America" and tell me if the man does not fund terrorism against the U.S. I hear the cries of sacrificing our people for theirs. Isn't that kind of the definition of altruism, liberals? Giving up of ourselves to help those in more need??? To the reasonable, I will say that if we don't take care of Saddam now, we will be sacrificing a lot more of our sons and daughters in addition to being paralyzed with fear about the next terrorist attack. I hear foolish cries about the war and poverty, the war on illiteracy, and the war on corporate greed. These wars need to be fought as well, but to subordinate the war on terror, the war on evil, is just ludicrous. The war on terror affects every American, and limits our ability to help our own. We must deal with pressing problems before we deal with the ones that will always be there no matter what we do. Illiteracy, poverty, and corporate greed are social problems borne from poor parenting, schooling, and learning of ethics. How do you end poverty, really? Go communist? Every time we as a nation gets richer, we raise the poverty line to retain a certain segment of society in the category. Translation: there will always be people technically classified as living in poverty. I will tell you one thing about them in this country, they aren't eating 500 calories wondering if today is going to be the day that Saddam's henchmen are going to throw them in the plastic shredder. I once read that you can't use reason to convince someone who is unreasonable. That is why France, Russia, and China would not support our actions, they have the same blood on their hands that Saddam does for supporting his regime with weapons and economic support. I direct this message only to the reasonable, since I am aware that the unreasonable peaceniks would never be convinced, even if they were faced with death themselves.

War is not a solution for anything. Bush is in it for personal reasons and dragging the rest of us with him. I say "Not in my name!" Peace

Saddam is mentally unstable and an obvious threat to world peace. It's time he was terminated.

This is a much needed war. Its about time we done something with Saddam and as far as the anti-war protesters are concerned, I think some are probably sincere and dont support war, but I think most of them think like this, they probably are thinking " Oh we're at war hey we should protest like you know we could be like John lennon huh that would be cool" Its this mentality that has undermined the patriotism in our country. But I back Bush 100 percent, I am a republican and I still believe in WAR. Thats right, I said it!

I fully support the war!!! Go Bush!!

We are now at war and it is a horrible thing. We already have casualties, POW'S and we have only been fighting for a week. I hope this war ends soon but I fear it will last a lot longer than I wish and that the cost will have outweighed the risks the U.S. took greatly. I have a cousin in Iraq now and I fear and pray for him and the rest of our troops, I pray for the families that have lost loved ones in Iraq. I do not support this war and I do not support Bush, but I do support our troops and pray that they make it through this thing alive. Hopefully this will be the last war this country experiences for a long time.

I think we are doing the right thing on the war with Iraq. Hussein has to leave. Our protestors, are against fighting, but, yet they are fighting themselves on the streets of New York. Have they forgotton about 9/11. Obviouly, the pain, has been great in our country. We must support our troops, that are fighting for freedom.

I hate war every bit as much as the next person. It is not pretty. However, there is a time for it, and now is the time. My constant thoughts and prayers are for the troops who are overseas, for the people who have already lost loved ones, and for President George W. Bush, whose job I wouldn't take for anything in the world. There has got to be something done with Saddam Hussein once and for all, and we cannot quit too soon. We will succeed if we stand united and don't give up. God bless America!

I personally would have liked to have seen this war averted, but, since the war has already begun, I think the most important thing to do is hope that this war is brief, so as not to drag more and more people in; hope that our loved ones overseas come home unharmed; hope that those who are innocent are out of harm's way, in ALL countries; hope that our loved ones here at home stay safe. I know there will be causualties, but we should hope that these are kept to a minimum, and hope that they do not include young children and those who have nothing to do with this war. Whether we believe in this war or not, at this time I think it is more important to think of what matters most: the people. (This is addition to my original statement--for those of you who disagreed with this statement and apparently think that our people are expendable: What, are you people sick or something? Do you not know anyone over there? Are you that bloodthirsty that you don't think that our loved ones and neighbors are over there RISKING THEIR ASSES? They're not just soldiers, they're PEOPLE, they have husbands, wives, children, parents, siblings, friends. It's easy for us to sit here at home and type our little opinions, they're over there getting GRENADES chucked at them. My brother-in-law is over there, and when it comes down to it, my opinion on whether the war is good or not disappears until HE COMES HOME SAFE!)

Wish I had a program to insert 15 or 20 more stars here. I've been waiting for this for years, and the honor, conduct, bravery and efficiency of the CAPITALIST United States military is astounding. PROTESTERS and other assorted leftie second-handers? I can't wait to see them scratch their heads when the Iraqi people smile, wave and throw flowers at our boys in gratitude for their freedom from the Butcher. Most of these protesters are simply brainwashed products of the tenured, collectivist, socialist university academics who sadly rule our "higher learning" <cough> institutions, teaching the young mind about victimhood in the guise of "diversity." But that's another topic.... ON TO BAGHDAD !!!

I give it 10 stars. I give my president 10 stars. Saddam needs to be stopped. Hopefully he is. The people of Iraq, the innocents, need to be liberated. And most want to. That was graphically illustrated as one of our soldiers was tearing down a poster of Saddam and a citizen of Iraq was hitting the terrorist dictator's face on the poster with his shoe. I have a friend who is a 20 year old female who currently serves on an aircraft carrier. She and the vast majority of the military want to put a stop to his terrorism. He has gassed and killed his own people but yet today I had to watch in disgust as our own people protested this war. I am not pro-war. I am anti-Saddam. I am anti-Bin Laden and all their ilk. And I just watched in disgust as it's been learned that one of our own threw 2 hand grenades into the tents of his command. Well I have said enough but I am totally disgusted.

I am for freedom for the entire world, not just our small corner of it. It is far past time, ladies and gentlemen, to remove the leftist anti-American hold on our country. The same old voices saying: AMERICA IS ALWAYS WRONG, AMERICA IS TERRIBLE AND OPPRESSIVE TO OTHER NATIONS, AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY IS IMPERIALIST, ETC... The far left has been aiding, abetting, and given comfort to our nation's enemies for decades. We, as a nation, should start protesting in the streets. Right now I see protests organized against Mr. Bush, but unbelievably, none against Mr. Sadaam Hussein! I have heard the propaganda speeches of Mr Hussein, and the rhetoric of the left, and cannot tell them apart. You see, they both hate this country equally. The "Give peace a chance" people are just as dangerous. They will never understand that the world is a dangerous place, or that what gives them the freedom to make their speeches and sing "Where have all the flower's gone" is because some real brave men put their bodies in front of bullets and grenades and dropped those terrible bombs that they hate so much. The time for ivory tower knee-jerk liberalism is over, folks. Their claim to the moral high ground is a fraud too. I personally believe that Mr. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence was meant for everyone in this entire world, not just a few priveliged souls who only believe in pushing for their own agenda.

Preemptive war is unethical and sets a terrible standard for the rest of the world. Americans are so confused now, half of them think that Iraq had something to do with 9/11. This is a war for oil and for control in the middle east.

what can i say, i am 23 and the world in not the same place that my olds grew up in but i can tell you what i learnt from history is that the world sat back and did #$#@!! all in europe before ww2 and look what happened. if you stick your head in the sand and do nothing some one will come along and kick you in the arse. Who will protect the world art studenst greens, and peace protesters. i would go live on mars if that was the case. this is not a war my generation has picked, but i feel that it is one that will get finished for better or worst.