Dear FRONTLINE,
I was a little surprised to see the number of comments that objected to the title of this piece, "Bush's War." George W. Bush made the decision to go to war in Iraq, and I'm not aware that he's suggested at any time that he regrets or disavows that decision, so I'm confused that any of his supporters would take umbrage.
Also, to the commenter who suggested "respectfully" that this is our war too, I must take offense. I did everything in my power as a citizen to attempt to stop the Iraq war from going forward, and to convince our elected leadership to do the same.
As the daughter of a United States Marine who served two tours in Vietnam and retired after serving his country for more than 20 years, I know how it feels to wait for my dad to come home, and to wonder if he would. I know how it feels to be a small child who only heard her father's voice on reel-to-reel tapes every few weeks during each tour. For days after my father left for his second tour in Vietnam, my 2-year-old sister would get out her coat every morning, ready to "go pick up daddy now" and my mom would tear up, and patiently explain that it would be a little longer before daddy came home.
From my perspective, the best, most fundamental way to support our troops is to keep our covenant only to send them when and where they must be sent to keep America safe. To take care of them and their families while they are in harm's way. To take care of them and their families when they come home.
Bush should never never have sent our troops back into Iraq, particularly because he was not willing to keep any of those three covenants. He had the power to make this disaster happen. He has the power--and the responsibility--to make it right. It IS his war.
Chandra Wallace
Concord, California
Dear FRONTLINE,
More than anything I am left with a cold feeling of the capacity of men to distance themselves from the reality of what war is and what it means; days and nights of fear and terror, adrenalin rushing through your body in flight/fight response,visions so ghastly they are seared in the brain forever. These dysfunctional "neocons", all wrapped up in their petty alliances and secret grudges, God willing will someday face a greater judge of their behavior and its consequences.
Paul Meyerhof
Albany, CA
Dear FRONTLINE,
Thank you so much for this critical, comprehensive documentation of an extremely important event in the history of the United States. Your show clearly documents what can happen when just a few men with huge egos, convinced that their's is the only correct perspective, use a national crisis to remove checks and balances and take control of a government that is meant to be "of the people, by the people, and for the people" of the United States.
The question now: How can we reestablish a government that answers to the people, understands that it works "for" the people, does not deceive and deny information to the people whose country this is, and who are the employers of and directors of elected officials? How do we move forward and make a 180-degree change from the example set by this administration and regain control of our country and the respect of the world by demonstating once again wisdom, compassion, and yes, strength?
We can start by putting even stronger safeguards in place to ensure that this departure from what is good and right about the US never happens again.
Thanks again for a high quality body of work that will, I'm sure, prove historically invaluable.
Sacramento, CA
Dear FRONTLINE,
Each of us has a personal memory or a story, of how we have been connected to and affected by, this war and these policies. Watching this documentary what came through to me most clearly was that each of us has the potential to form a lens through which we will filter all incoming information. Be it Cheney, Rumsfield, Tenet, or those of us in sitting in living rooms, writing comments back to Frontline, or standing on street corners, has a responsibility to keep our lens as clean and as open as we can.
If members of the Bush Administration had not had an ideological framework so powerfully constructed by the Neo-Conservatives, then 9/11 and other attacks might have been able to be seen clearly enough to plan for successful policies and actions to counter the destructive elements forming in the world.
As you so well pointed out, wrapping intelligence around a policy doesn't work. In that same light, each individual is responsible for how we see and hear and take in information. A closed mind or a warped lens is dangerous whether in political leader or a television viewer.
J. DougallRhinebeck, NY
Rhinebeck, New York
Dear FRONTLINE,
Calling it "Bush's War", when it looked more like Rumsfeld, or Cheney's war, appears to be a subtle way of turning people against the president. In your shaping peoples view of the politics you have failed to mention two important issues: First, that since "Bush's War" we haven't been attacked like we were at 9/11, the W.T.C. in 1993. Secondly, You haven't mentioned that missionaries, and their converts to Christianity were murdered repeatedly in Muslim countries, with hardly any converts, and now according to a Muslim cleric 6,000,000 Muslim a month are coming to know Jesus since "Bush's War". This latter development alone should greatly help keep us and Israel from being attacked again. Your perspective seems twisted, self seeking, not showing the whole picture, and an attempt to put our administration is a bad light! In addition to that it has the appearance of being pro UN, and pro Muslim, and anti Israeli since chemical warfare ammunition shells were found in Iraq, and the soldier said, they were developed to be used against Israel!
Jim Gordon
Ptld, OR
Dear FRONTLINE,
Bushs War is surely an award winning production. It is by far the most comprehensive study on the internal administration power struggle leading up to the war. It didnt break much new ground but it is the first time all the pieces had been put together and presented in a logical sequence of events. I learned a lot and for people who have not followed it as closely as I had I am sure it is a real help. I sincerely believe this program will be used in high school classes for many years to come when this war is covered and where management is taught.
I do have one concern about the program. The program was very clear on explaining why the administration attacked Afghanistan. What the program did not cover was why Mr. Chaney and the Neocons (Richard Pearl, Paul Wolfewitz, etc) wanted us to attack Iraq. Your program showed there was a deliberate effort on their part to make a case to attack Iraq. For example, they gave weight to intelligence reports that was not warranted on many occasions to build a reason to attack Iraq. Your program demonstrated quite clearly how much effort went into building on opinion, not fact, a case for attacking Iraq. What the program does not explore is WHY they wanted this invasion. Some of the possible reasons that that have been offered in the past were to: take control of the oil fields, help President Bush get revenge for Saddams planning to assassinate his father, and/or to remove a major military threat to Israel while establishing a defensive line of the US military between Israel and Iran. With 4,000 dead and 30,000 mutilated it would seem extremely important to know why they led us into this war. I urge you to do another program where you explore this subject.
Alexandria, Va
FRONTLINE's editors respond:
Please see our annotated video timeline elsewhere on this site where you can view background reporting on this subject, drawn from FRONTLINE's earlier programs, in particular, "The War Behind Closed Doors." In the video timeline, go to the fourth section entitled"Wolfowitz's Proposal for a New Foreign Policy of Preemption,Toughness."
Dear FRONTLINE,
Thank you for broadcasting such an excellent program. The broadcast showed the inner workings of our government concerning the "how" and "why" we went to war with Iraq. Before watching "Bush's War", I always thought Colin Powell was a part of Bush's corrupt cabal; but it appears that Powell was probably the only voice of reason in an administration hell-bent on war.
Josh Kahn
Glendora, California
Dear FRONTLINE,
I watched the program on Bush's War with great intensity and more than ever I am convinced that he will go down in history as the most inept President in the History of this country, but I add that his administration will also follow that same legacy. What frustrates me more than anything else is that our nation was misled and lied to and for what purpose. I also believe that this administration full well knew that Americans are too caught up in our very very busy lives to stop and think what was happening. Unfortunately we citizens are still sitting back and doing absolutely nothing to change the situation in Iraq. We are not demanding anything much less accountibility.
I hope and pray that your expose will start to revive this country into taking specific concrete steps to end this conflict and soon. I thank you for your courage and accuracy in producing such an important program.
Clive Ensher
Aston, Pennsylvania
Dear FRONTLINE,
Bush's War: Cheney in my opinion had a very personal agenda for getting Saddam. Bush 41 and Cheney fairly or not will be criticized by history for not getting Saddam during the first Gulf War. Cheney now had a 2nd chance to rewrite history and vindicate himself and Cheney wasn't going to blow it.
Andy Roth
Vallejo, Ca.
Dear FRONTLINE,
We appreciate the courage, thoughtful research and editing that Frontline used in order to present this documentary. We also value the alternative experts, voices and information that were presented. The exercise of leadership and the use of power to optimize the long-term quality of the lives of all that share the earth is now the big picture.
For an administration and party that came to power asserting moral authority and leadership, I am certain that it is troubling that so many resources have been wasted on this war at so many levels.
America has lost material moral, ethical, economic, and social leadership largely because of this war and its management. There have been material erosions of civil liberties and freedom in America and many other countries. A culture with more fear seems less productive and creative than a culture with less fear. Many leaders have failed to listen to quality advisers offering alternatives to conflict, fear and control. Thank for your thoughtful presentation and analysis of recent history.
Steve Phillippy
Tampa, FL
Dear FRONTLINE,
Can we entertain the notion that given the dearth of information we had about Iraq at the time, that the pressure the CIA was feeling was the pressure to get up off their butts and do their job? Could it not be argued that there was a solemn purpose in Bush asking "is this all there is" and that this alone might be evidence of his earnest desire to build a sound case for war?
I understand the need to assign blame here and to see our leaders as men of ill will and mal intent, but there are other possible explanations for the events that unfolded.
In the final analysis, we may some day come to understand that what we broke here was something that was already broken and that somewhere down the line the challenge of militant Islam was going to have to be answered.
John Fury
Greer, SC
Dear FRONTLINE,
My profession has never made me more proud! I'm a retired copy editor who believes your interviewers, writers, video editors and producers have a program every American should see and of which each person involved in the production should be proud. The continuity of the program was mind-boggling.
Of course, my main thought after viewing this was that our elected and appointed officials -- all of them -- were not thinking of their country's welfare at any time but were thinking of their own welfare and power base the whole time. The executive branch's rise to prominence, to the detriment of congress, has serious ramifications for future administrations: Once power has been usurped, giving it back -- or taking it away -- is almost impossible. A powerful wakeup call, indeed!
Luella Rogers
New Orleans, Louisiana
Dear FRONTLINE,
This is the first documentary to give a "survey course" overview of what led us into the quagmire in which we now find ourselves mired. I eagerly await Part II tonight, but the main lessons Americans need to take away from this event can be drawn from Part I alone. It is all too easy for a President and a small clique of radicals whom he happens to trust to send the nation on the path to ruinous disaster. We responded to the 9/11 disaster by rushing off to create another.
The saddest thing to me is that Bush's War has not yet ended, and Frontline will someday need to revisit this dismal period in order to give a full account of it.
Rob Woodard
Richardson, TX
Dear FRONTLINE,
I'm a small town conservative Christian family man. I have been a supporter of PBS for many years and my children have been blessed by your programming. I have looked at this compilation and some very fine work was done. The one problem I have with it, is the same problem I have with anyone who lacks it; objectivity! To call this Bush's War is another example of the liberally biased PBS tagging this black eye for America. You take license, because it's your station, your program, and your site, by portraying this war as some sort of flexing done by President Bush.
I will readily admit that we, as a country, had NO gameplan for the after-action results. We had none. As smart as those guys and gals are, you would have thought that we would have. Tommy Franks, probably the most ardent critic of the mess that it was, punted (to use a football analogy) and left it to them. Respectfully, it's your war too, not Bush's. Shame on you for characterizing it for the unsuspecting who may not pay attention, and take the PBS label as righteous and belive what you say because they lack their own objectivity. You should think about re-titling it.
The work is superb; the name shows your true colors.
William
william ragsdale
magee, ms
Dear FRONTLINE,
As I watched the show last night, I felt a growing sense of horror at the fact that so many people's lives have been irrevocably altered for the worse because of the private agendas of a few men. Couple that with this week's New Yorker article about Sabrina Harman, the U.S. Army Specialist who shot those photos of Abu Ghraib, and I'm left feeling that we have done damage that will last generations.
Thank you, Frontline, for illuminating such a confusing and upsetting series of events. I learned a lot about the events of the last few years, and what really goes on behind our government's closed doors.
Marianne Amoss
Baltimore, MD
