Iraq war in focus
Changing views

Has your opinion on the war changed since it started? Is there anything you find your opinion still shifting on?

There are lots of different theories about just what is the real Bush agenda. Before the war, I thought that the Bush agenda was to back Saddam down. He apparently was getting that job done, albeit very slowly. I would not have supported the actual invasion, but I did support Bush's apparent agenda. Now I don't know. I do know that the world is better off without Saddam controlling Iraq, the military victory was much easier than anticipated and the Arab world has been embarrassed. It's also evident that Iraq wasn't anywhere near the military threat that Bush would have us believe it was. So now I'm not so sure what the Bush agenda may or may not really be. Bottom line: He is our president and I don't think that he is a monster. Therefore, we must support him and our military. I do believe the anti-war demonstrations may undermine the administration’s efforts, but the voices of objection must be heard. When the war first actually started I thought that we had made a huge mistake because we had unleashed a future change of events that, even with a military victory, we could not control. Most likely these future events would not work out for our or the world’s best interests. Now I'm not so sure and maybe we have done the right thing. Maybe the conservatives’ philosophies on world issues do work. After all, Ronald Reagan's policies did lead to the end of the Cold War. I still don't really trust them, though. Time will tell. So, yes, my opinion has changed since the war started, and as you can tell it is still shifting.

My antiwar position changed for about a minute when I viewed pictures of happy Iraqis celebrating in the streets over the demise of Saddam‘s regime. Then I was reminded that Baghdad is a city of over a million people. A few hundred in the streets does not mean all are happy. I think it is very likely that once the initial joy wears off that they will want us to leave as fast as we came. Look at the lawlessness and inhumanity we have unleashed then sat back and did nothing. The problem is that if we leave soon, we will be leaving them in suffering conditions. Plus, they are also vulnerable to being ruled by another dictator or subject to tribal fighting. We are now obligated to rebuild their country. I did not have a good feeling about us going into this war. Now, for all of the reasons above, I have an even worse feeling over what will become of the Iraqi people and our credibility. Plus, it frightens me that it was so easy for us to conquer Iraq. Are we now so confident in our war capabilities that we will move on to conquer other rogue nations? Will there be more war and more death? I hope not, but I think there will be. I would say my antiwar stance has just grown stronger.

No it hasn't. It even hurts more to see how any American soldiers died thinking that they were fighting for their country when they were fighting for the richest and greediest people of the world.

No, my opinion has not changed. I do not support the decisions made by those currently in positions of power in our government, and I do not feel they have done an adequate job of accurately reflecting the opinions of people in this country. I would include our WA state congressional members as well in this observation. I do not have any negative feelings, however, about the troops and those who must carry out the orders from those in power. They are not in a position to choose the direction of these decisions, and must be treated with the respect they deserve.

We've destroyed an economy. Killed or maimed how many thousands in a turkey shoot? No water, food, electricity, health care, sanitation. For what? 9/11 won't fly. And GW (President Bush) is asking to be "blessed" for this.

No. My opinion is that this "war" was necessary in one way or another. We should have taken Saddam out back in the '91 Gulf War. I agree that lifting sanctions now is the best idea to get the humanitarian needs to the people of Iraq as soon as possible. We (and the world) need to rid the planet of Saddam's type of sick regimes. The suffering of the Iraqi people could have ended back in '91, but the U.N. was too shortsighted and cowardly to do what was right back then. They showed the same cowardice toward this fight for the Iraqi people's freedom. I just want all the citizens of our country and the media out there to also know that "everyone" doesn't believe that this had anything to do, directly, with the Sept. 11th attacks. It IS, however, a known fact that Saddam Hussein was giving financial aid to any terrorist organizations that were willing to commit acts of violence toward the U.S. and its supporting allies. This has been proven to be a futile mistake on their part and will always continue to be a worthless effort for them to undertake.

My thoughts have changed indeed. I first thought America should just worry about us and leave everybody else alone. However, one morning (when) I was getting ready for work I was watching CNN as our troops entered the capital and how this little kid was trying to wipe his shoes on the mouth of Saddam’s statue. First I laughed, then I cried.

My opinion of this war is exactly what it was before the war started. We had absolutely no reason to invade Iraq and once accomplished no idea how to stabilize it.

Despite the media and Hollywood's military "experts," President Bush was right all along and I agree with him that an Iraqi government using the basic democratic process should be installed with the utmost speed and then the coalition should leave and let the UN supervise the distribution of food, medical supplies, etc., although the UN's ability to function is highly suspect in light of their non-reaction to the initial Iraqi situation.

No, it hasn't changed. I still think war, especially without the general consensus of more nations worldwide, was not the best way to address the issue of alleged weapons of mass destruction or Saddam's real abuse of human rights. Now that the fighting in Iraq is winding down, I'm only hoping I'm wrong about what the long-term fallout will be.

My opinion has not changed. I am very glad that many of the Iraqis are for now happier and freer. I was opposed to the war before and I still am. Bush's go-it-alone approach has created great damage to U.S. foreign relations. The war will be very expensive at a time when we don't have enough money for education, environmental protection, and other social needs at home. The war has distracted many Americans from Bush's poor performance on the home front. U.S. foreign policy still funds and supports many other dictators and human-rights violators in the Mideast and around the world. If U.S. leaders truly cared about human freedom they would spend less time on war and more time stopping our support of these other regimes. If U.S. leaders truly cared about peace, they would support a Man on the Moon-level effort to increase fuel efficiency and make a rapid transition to a hydrogen economy based on renewable energy. The hydrogen economy Bush proposes is mostly a giveaway to his friends in the fossil fuel industry. A rapid transition away from oil could stop the deaths of future American service people. If the U.S. leaders truly cared about peace, they would tell the Israeli government that until they pulled out of the occupied territories, U.S. funding would be reduced. U.S. peace efforts have to place a priority on working with Israel and Palestine to develop a peaceful, secure, and just future for both nations. The decisions by Bush still appear to be guided first by what is best for his friends in the oil, energy, arms, and reconstruction industry and the long-term best interests of the country and the environment too often come second.

I still believe this war was an illegal action on the part of the U.S. You just don't go in and take over a sovereign nation that has not attacked you — no matter how odious its leader may be. How would we feel if someone, say the French, decided that George Bush was so horrible they needed to depose him and then they proceeded to bomb our cities, occupy our country, and take over our industry all in the name of saving the American public from a despot? The Bush administration is trying to make folks believe than Iraq is somehow tied to 9/11, but the fact is that it wasn't. Why not go after Saudi Arabia instead? That's where many of the terrorists responsible were from, after all. No matter what propaganda our government is feeding the media, we were not responding to an attack on the U.S. The whole justification for this war is oil and it still is....Now, the administration is looking at Syria and possibly Iran. When will it end? This is not worth our young men and women killing and dying for. It has to stop. If anything, I am more adamant than ever that Bush and his crew need to be kicked out of office in 2004. They need to make way for someone who will really take care of this country and do the work that will benefit the people (as opposed to the oil industry and big business). Recover the economy, make health care accessible to all, improve education, safeguard our Bill of Rights and repair the damage that has been done to our reputation with the rest of the global community. I also believe that Americans need to work for diversifying ownership of the media. It's become obvious who controls the means of communications in this country — it's big business. That's why TV news anchors seemed to react with glee during the build up and eventual attack on Iraq. Think of the ratings they got. Rupert Murdoch's publications unashamedly reflected his support of the war in their headlines. The public needs to take back the fifth estate or our democracy is doomed.

I was initially against the war as I did not feel the evidence presented by the Bush administration was sufficient to warrant a military response. Once the decision to go to war was made, there wasn't much I could do. My next greatest fear was world response and retaliation on the U.S., not to mention the possible length of the war. If it drug on and on, more and more lives would have been lost on all sides, benefiting no one. With the apparent quickness of the war, my feelings have changed somewhat. I still don't agree with the philosophy underlying the necessity of this war. However, being a practical person, it seems to me that if the average Iraqi's life is made better now, if Iraq stands out as a shining example of freedom in the Mideast, and if we do all as we promised, giving the Arab peoples reason to trust our word, then it will have been worth the cost involved. And I feel this is true even if we don't find the giant caches of WMDs. What is done is done, and any justifications or criticism we now give to the war are just academic.

It hasn't changed (pro-troops, pro-get rid of Saddam), other than we best find the WMDs that were the primary reason we used to start the war.

From the very beginning of this administration's rants about Iraq, I have been firm in my belief that war is wrong. If anything, after doing my own research on the war, I am more than ever convinced that this war is unjust and illegal. I am saddened that United States has isolated itself from the world community and has been arrogant enough to discard the opinions of our allies. Certainly we are the most powerful country in the world, but that does not give us the right to terrorize others.

I supported from Day 1 our Commander in Chief. I support our troops and our country. I am thrilled to see the Iraqi people now enjoying what so many over here take for granted — FREEDOM! We are the home of the FREE, BECAUSE of the brave. If you don't like this country, GET OUT! We don't need moronic Hollywoodites' or anti-war protestors' narrow-mindedness anymore. Now, let's go get Syria!

Yes. I find it more absurd each day and each day I am more embarrassed to have Bush as president and Rumsfeld as secretary of Defense.

Absolutely not. It's still the right, just and moral thing to do. No, a gun wasn't pointed directly at our collective heads, but did it need to be before we took action? Again, absolutely not. I am not "okay" just sitting around and waiting for another 9/11, here or anywhere else. Yes, it's scary taking a position of leadership and being proactive rather than reactive to a situation. But doing what needs to be done and what is right is not always popular. 17 resolutions, 12 years of inspections and diplomacy and still little cooperation from Saddam. Saddam could have chosen to cooperate fully and reveal his cache of weapons. He chose not to. He chose to continue playing his little game of "catch as catch can." He chose unwisely. Saddam's series of bad choices, from invading Kuwait and chemical weapons use to starving his own people even when given the means with which to feed them and provide medicine (aka the Oil for Food program) and, finally, his lack of cooperation with (UN Resolution) 1441, he chose not to do so. Surely, as Americans, you can understand about making choices. If I agree with the anti-war people on any one issue it is this: Find the weapons of mass destruction. Find them soon. And when we do (and I'm sure we will), do not even attempt to put some Oliver Stone/Michael Moore conspiracy theory to them being "planted." This isn't a movie. On 9/11, the gloves came off. From Munich in '72 to Pan Am Flight 1003 to the Beirut and embassy bombings to countless terrorist hijackings, we have been reactive to terrorists, almost tolerant of their sick and murderous ways. Enough is enough. There is no longer room for them or the people that support them on this planet. Goodbye, Saddam. May you and your ilk rot in hell.

From the very beginning, I was pragmatic about Iraq. The foreign policy of the United States made Saddam Hussein. Check Donald Rumsfeld (hypocrite) giving Saddam golden boot spurs, when Ronald Reagan was president. Our elected officials made Saddam and they should pay for all the mayhem that follows because of their stupidity. I was in the Gulf in 1980, when United States citizens were taken hostage by zealots in Iran. I and my shipmates would gladly have gone to free our fellow citizens. I had never even fired a gun but all of us were surely just as patriotic and ready to fight as anyone who went to Iraq. We live in times of gross misuse of power in the name of liberty. Bless the young men and women who followed their commander-in-chief into battle. Curse the stupidity and short memories of the public in the United States of America. The payback may never happen and you better pray hard that it never does, because you won't pay, your children will.

I feel that this war was motivated by oil. We have an oilman in office. I am a baby boomer, and I remember the young days of wild living and devil-may-care. Now I'm ashamed of how my generation has become so fat, lazy, and hypocritical. It was our hypocritical morals that elected the president, and that hypocrisy has killed our young people. We are so complacent we let the spin doctors lead us around by the nose. The rest of the world is either laughing at us or despises us. I hope the upcoming generation lives life more out of personal conviction than we did.

Yes, now I see the atrocities that I hear about regarding Saddam Hussein, and wonder how many people he has killed that no one knows about. We need to find him and Osama bin Laden and make them accountable for their actions and send a message (from the world) that all who seek terrorism will be punished.

I was mildly supportive of the war at the outset, but after the quickness and overwhelming strength our military showed and the willingness of Iraq to not resist in great numbers, I am strongly supportive. However, I think it is critical that we don't give off the impression that we are there to take over the whole region.

My opinion on the war has not changed. I was totally against it in the beginning and still believe we never should have gone over there. Especially now, since the imaginary WMDs cannot be found anywhere! (Why isn't the media discussing this more?) Wasn't that the whole reason we went there in the first place? Now that we have gone over there, I hope we do help Iraq put the pieces back together and leave as soon as possible. We should clean up our depleted uranium ammo that we used and now plan to leave littering the Iraq soil. Instead of continuing to threaten other countries with violence, why aren't we focusing on the problems we have here in the U.S.? We can come up with $80 billion for war but can't find any money for schools? The only thing my opinion is changing on is being a citizen of the USA - I feel ashamed! We seem to have such a belligerent, warmongering government that prefers to kill, jail, or occupy anyone that doesn't agree with the U.S.

At first I was appalled at the arrogance of our leaders as they thumbed their noses at our allies in order to foment the savage aggression against Iraq--a monumental oil grab. At first, I was angered at how the U.S. military was hoodwinked into risking their lives in order to line the pockets of civilian despots. At first, I shuttered, anticipating the humanitarian disaster. Now, as we begin to mop up Iraqi blood with American flags, I am saddened. I know now the United States cares little or nothing for world opinion. We will take what we want from Iraq with little or no UN help. And we as a nation will continue repeating this pattern until we make a conscious decision to stop or someone stops it for us. We are no longer a super-power interested in democracy and human rights; we have become a belligerent tyrant striking at will in the name of no ideology other than our own selfish gains.

My opposition to war in general has increased since the war started. The deaths by "friendly fire," and "collateral damage," etc., have made war even more horrible. The destruction of homes and normal citizens must make them hate us even more than ever. The aftermath of war is a massive disruption that includes looting, paybacks, resumption of feuds, breakdown of authority, and anger at the occupation forces. The awarding of lucrative contracts to friends of the administration without any open bidding isn't right. We can't be proud of winning a war that was the equivalent of smashing a bug with a sledgehammer. If I were the father of a soldier who died in this "war," I'd be ashamed rather than proud. The war has proven that the reasons given for starting it were just lies given to try and justify the use of force. The world opinion against our administration will increase the risk of terrorism instead of helping. Historians will look upon this as the beginning of the end of a great nation. The principles that were set during the past 223 years have been upset and reversed in order to satisfy the ideology of those who now surround and lead our president. I'll be working hard to support the Democrats for the next election. In short, I'm more opposed to war than ever before, and I hope we don't continue with any more pre-emptive wars.

Yes. I no longer think that Iraq had any involvement with 9-11. I believe that Mr. Bush and this government is lying when it says that it is stamping out terrorism and "liberating" the Iraqi people. 1) If that were true, we would have done more to stop the genocide and atrocities in Serbia and Yugoslavia, which were far more treacherous than the evil of Saddam's rule. 2) We may be "liberating" the Iraqis, but now what? We have destroyed their government, much of their economy, and many of their homes, and U.S. is doing little except for some humanitarian aid to help them rebuild. Instead we are focusing on who we want to be in power there. We aren't even getting the electricity and water running in many of the bombed towns. 3) I support the armed forces and place no blame on them for doing their job. I feel that they are being asked to do things that are inappropriate and hasty. 4) Why have world organizations, accords, treaties, or any other agreement if you aren't going to abide by them when they are inconvenient? The purpose of an organization like NATO is to provide perspectives, avoid hasty and rash movements by countries, and to provide accountability by governments as we all struggle to find room on this small planet of ours. I say to Mr. Bush and all of the other leaders, stop being macho and playing with armed forces and weapons as you would with your toy trucks and army men. You're thinking with your testosterone and if you are respecting the horror of 9-11, you're seeking vengeance and not the "liberation" you keep saying. There is terrorism out there. It lives in our own country (lest we forget Oklahoma City) and just about every other country lives with it frequently (take the Irish/Northern Irish struggle for example). But one thing happens to us and you fly off the handle. Shame on all of you for being so ignorant and hasty and destroying a nation. Why Iraq and not North Korea? We know they are considering chemical weapons. In short, it's a big ol' boys’ game and the reasons they say just don't add up.

War should have been avoided; my opinion has not changed. The U.S. went to war because it knew that Iraq can be defeated — there are no WMDs. Iraq apparently served as practice ground for U.S.'s new armaments: MOABs, JDAMS, night-vision goggles, GPSs, Warthogs, Bradleys, Tomahawk missiles, ad infinitum. The arsenal was overpowering, and despite the smart bombs, many Iraqis died, which is really "irrelevant" (a favorite word of the Bush administration) since we are only concerned that no U.S. troops are killed. A little over 100 dead Americans is obviously acceptable. As for the Iraqis, too bad. So the question, is it better to die in the hands of the Americans or to die in the hands of Saddam? With all the vaunted might of the United States, Saddam could have been deposed without war.

Basically no, my opinion has not changed. The United States has to buy, sell, and operate on a global basis. We must realize that there are a lot of people out there, for one reason or another, who do not like us. To pre-empt this situation was a necessary thing to do. However, my opinion is changing on the so-called intelligence of our leaders. Weapons of mass destruction have not been found. The fierce Republican Guard fell apart like a house of cards. Now the talk is going after Syria, we have proven that we have a big stick, now its time to talk in a more diplomatic global manner, include other nations, but not depend to much on the UN. My opinion has drastically changed concerning the UN. They seem to have sat on their hands for the past 10-12 years and let Saddam and his sons take advantage of them.

No, my opinion has not changed! I believed we needed to enforce the United Nations resolutions before and I am very glad we did.

I have noticed that the Iraqi people have been able to voice their opinions without the threat of torture or death. This is good news. Unfortunately, they are criticizing the UNITED STATES for hand-picking their new leaders. We need to be part of the rebuilding process, but not the overseers of the Iraqi government. I don't think we will have to worry about the next leader as much as the last one.

Now that our troops have discovered just how bad things were in Iraq, I no longer care whether the Iraqis have gas or nuclear weapons or not! This war needed to happen for humanitarian reasons alone. The cynical Europeans will second-guess us, but who cares?

This is a great question and, yes, my views are shifting. I was cynical about Iraq having WMD and being an imminent threat to the security of the U.S. -- the justification for invading Iraq. To date, a 'smoking gun' has not been found, but circumstantial evidence being found increasingly points to deceit about continuing illegal weapons development and direct links to terrorist groups whose targets are likely Israel and the U.S. I have always felt that the Saddam regime should be removed from power and destroyed; however, I felt that this coup should have been sanctioned by the UN. In spite of the egg-shell image of the UN., we are discovering covert links between Iraq and countries such as Russia, Germany, and France. I remain cynical of all politicians but wholeheartedly support what our troops are doing in Iraq.

I am dismayed that as the war progresses, so many issues in the United States continue to deteriorate. Illegal immigration is blatantly out of control, teachers and education get the shaft time after time, thousands are losing jobs, there is a continual crisis in health care, gun control is out of hand, traffic problems are not being dealt with, church attendance continues to wane, any sense of a moral code is practically non-existent, most television and movies are appalling in their amorality and idiocy, drug and alcohol misuse goes unchecked, etc. etc. But, the biggest crime in our country right now, happening under cover as the public is overly occupied with war, is the terrible environmental devastation and corruption going on in Congress. Take a look at the legislative watch. Check out the multitude of destructive environmental issues trying to be pushed through Congress right now. It is criminal as well as just terribly stupid. I am horrified and ashamed at all of these issues. So, how is the war affecting me? It is magnifying all of these problems in my home country. They have suddenly become excruciatingly unacceptable. It makes my heart cry out for intelligent, unselfish and humane leadership.

My sense of horror and disbelief has increased since the beginning of the war. On a daily basis, I hear references to 9-11 as justification for our involvement in Iraq. Our incredibly short sense of collective memory — merely weeks ago the U.S. public was concerned about disregard for world opinion and unproven accusations of weapons of mass destruction — sickens me. I am disgusted by the constant images and phrases of patriotism, everywhere from local news to grocery stores to clothing catalogs, and by the contradictory belief that democracy lies in quiet obedience. As a result, I have strengthened my resolve to state my opinion loudly, clearly and often, including to retailers who try to capitalize on our false sense of national bravery in order to sell crown molding and baseball tickets.

No my opinion has not changed, the war was illegal, unnecessary, and based on lies that have all be exposed as lies by the actual events. The one area that I have changed my opinion is the idea that we have some attempt at balanced press coverage. It is unbelievable how CNN, FOX, MSNBC and all commercial TV and cable news outlets have become pure propaganda machines. The most egregious offense, of a huge number of egregious offenses, is the repeated showing of the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue and the following picture of a child banging on the statue's head with a shoe. There are a number of pictures on the Internet taken with a wider-angle lens that show the entire scene. There are maybe 30 or 40 Iraqis in a circular area. The area is surrounded by tanks and there are at least as many Marines as Iraqis. The media has been showing this event as though there were a mass of Iraqi citizens celebrating the arrival of the Marines when nothing could be further than the truth. It was an event staged for the media by the military and the propaganda machine has played this fictional event over and over. Why don't we just merge all of the competing media outlets and rename the merged news station Pravda?

My opinion has not changed. War is necessary at times, and this is one of them. People who fail to believe this are the same type of people who will not fight for anything in life. And so we watch marriages fail too easily, businesses succumb to less than ethical practices, and neighborhoods taken over by criminals...all because confrontation is too scary, and taking a stand is too risky...much easier to say how evil our own governments is. After World War II, many Americans, it seems, lost the will to fight for anything. Perhaps this was motivated by the guilt associated with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Perhaps the horror of losing a half million men in that war made fighting a four-letter word. In Vietnam, we learned not to start something we don't have the [guts] to finish. Many heroic Americans lost their lives or health unnecessarily in Vietnam because our own government was not sure the fight was worth it. In the case of the Iraq war, our government committed to finish no matter how long it takes. With the hindsight of September 11, our leaders chose to make a rare pre-emptive strike against a nation whose leaders openly praised the attacks of September 11. Thank God for leaders who have the [guts] to take a stand once in awhile...even though the confrontation is scary, and taking a stand is risky. To all those opposed to the war, I ask what IS worth fighting for?

No, I'm still against it. Uncounted thousands are dying, and my taxes are paying for it. Now Syria... I'm outraged. "We have always been at war with Oceana, Citizen."

No. I didn't think it was a good idea in the first place and the more I see and read, the less I like it. Now we're taking verbal pot shots at Syria. Who's next? Canada? Where are these thousands of WMD? Where are the nukes? Bush and Co. have achieved regime change, but to what? Chosen by whom? Bah. The whole thing just makes me sick.

I am anti-war and my opinion has not changed. The Bush administration told us that Iraq had biological/chemical and other weapons of mass destruction and so a pre-emptive invasion was necessary to protect the U.S. Nothing of any significance has been found and certainly no nuclear program. What country do we invade next and on what pretext? American civil liberties and free speech have been eroded as never before, because of Bush. Extremists label those who refuse to march in lock step with Bush as unpatriotic. Speaking out against injustice is good old-fashioned American patriotism — remaining silent is not.

My opinion of George W. Bush has certainly shifted since the war started. Before, I only saw him as an illegitimate president. Now, I see him as a legitimate war criminal. Does that count?