Questions for the Public

Monika Blaumerller

Washington, DC

Business development consultant

Yes to both questions. I was concerned before the war about the legitimacy.

 

 

 

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John Golden

Maryland

Computer company representative 

I don’t know that that’s considered a failure as it relates to the overall goal. I don’t doubt that there were weapons and I don’t think that it, in my mind, has diminished the Bush administration in its goals.

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Dilli Karki

Virginia
Limousine driver
Permanent US resident from Nepal
If the Bush administration doesn’t find weapons of mass destruction, then there’s no answer to the world for why the US went to war. So this is bad, in my opinion, for the whole Bush administration… This thing, in terms of trust with the entire world, went very bad for the Bush administration.

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Petra King

Student/Nanny

Washington, DC 

In the beginning [President Bush] gave ample warning for Iraq to disarm and they didn’t. I think [weapons of mass destruction] are still there, but just not as many and they’re probably spread out. Regardless of what they had, the war was about preventing something like Sept. 11 from happening again.

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Aeron Kopriva

Washington, DC

School teacher

I think the lack of confirmation really eggs on the skepticism of the Bush administration’s efforts to show the imminence of the war; the imminence of the threat. For someone who didn’t disagree with the war in principle, it doesn’t surprise me that no weapons were found, but, yes, I do think it reduces the legitimacy of the war. It’s remarkably consistent with certain claims of detractors of the Bush administration that there are ulterior motives being served here.

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Randy Robertson

Washington, DC
Salesman
I think there may have been weapons at one time, but they haven’t found them yet. Either they find them or they don’t… It would not affect my opinion of whether the war was legitimate or not. I think once you start a job, you finish it.

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George Saatsakis

Washington, DC

Waiter 

I don’t think Bush misled the country by not finding those weapons, because the idea [by Saddam Hussein] of actually using those types of weapons, I believe, was there and that was enough reason to go in.

 

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Ralph Solomon

Washington, DC

Musician

I felt like we had to do something. Whether what we did was right or not, I’m undecided on. It was a long time coming and it was reactionary, rather than being proactive. I think we got there possibly on the coat tails of the previous administration.

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Berin Uriegas

Washington, DC

Computer programmer

I’ve never thought that the action in Iraq was legitimate, even with or without the weapons. I definitely think the Bush administration misled the country. I think Bush was doing what his father didn’t get to finish.

 

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Charles Washburn
Washington, DC
Retired postal worker
As someone pointed out: we’ve sold weapons to Saddam Hussein. There are receipts even… It’s a good idea to get rid of Saddam, if you can get rid of him. They cannot find Bin Laden; they cannot find Saddam, but they kill a whole lot of people—innocent people too. There’s something weird about that.