Dear FRONTLINE,
Excellent program. It is the first time that the nuances of the power struggles within the White House have been put on canvas to paint a credible picture of the underpinnings to the war in Iraq.
I don't think there is any doubt that the shortcomings of George W. Bush are to blame. More precisely, I blame his lack of curiosity and analysis, his lack of understanding of the world around him, his failure to size up his lieutenants and his lack of leadership. We have here a weak, insecure, paranoid and short witted man with dilutions of grandeur.
He is being romanced by two tenacious, wannabe alpha males in Dick and Donald. It reminds me of a street scene where George, Dick and Donald are robbing a man. George is holding the gun. Dick and Donald are cheering him on: "Shoot him! Shoot him!" George hesitates briefly before he shoots the man three times.
It is not clear to me whether Dick or Donald would have been insane enough to fire the gun had it been their fingerprints.
I clearly remember the very first presidential speech offered by George W. Bush. He stated that he was concerned about the economy of the United States.Nice job George W.
Bengt Nyman
San Diego, CA
Dear FRONTLINE,
An exemplary program in its detail and precision in explaining the internal machinations within the Bush administration in promoting and executing the invasion and occupation of Iraq and its inevitable subsequent failure. "Victory" in Iraq is meaningless. However, there are two major omissions that I feel would have lended more credibility to the underlying "logic" of the administration's ideological PR efforts and the seqence of events in leading up to the invasionof Iraq: the role of the UN weapons inspectors and the Bush team's disregard of their work, and the role of the neoconservative "think tanks", the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute, in providing the paranoid "intellectual" justification for such a wrong headed invasion.
I urge PBS to ignore the comments (above) from Shaker Heights, Ohio and somewhere in Indiana. PBS is not a "leftist" orginization. These neocon respondents evidently refuse to accept the disaster that we are all observing. Or do they, perhaps, live on another planet ?
Francis Scalzi
Scottsdale, AZ
Dear FRONTLINE,
Thank you for your excellent coverage of this defining issue. PBS remains one of the only sources of unvarnished information that can be found on television.
I am a 52 year old vet and have never in my life been more disturbed or ashamed of my country. This administration has acted in a criminal manner and, from the top down, should be investigated for war crimes and treason. Their conduct in this war and disregard for the constitution is outrageous, and the republicans and democrats in congress are to blame as well. We need to clean house in congress and put anyone but a republican in the White House. Now is the time for action! We cannot stand by any longer and watch this country being destroyed by the neocons and unscrupulous politicians!
Stephen Allen
Lake Stevens, WA
Dear FRONTLINE,
For those who are not able to believe these events to be possible, simply take a look at where many of the people are now that were key figures in the decision to go to war. Colin Powell, "Scooter" Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenant, Wolfowitz as well as many others are as much a casualty of this war as our fallen soldiers. They have either been replaced or resigned due to their involvement in this diaster. If we look at those that remain in office, the only reason they are still there is because we have not asked for their resignations. What a mess.
God bless the Presidential nominee that inherits this.
Charles Smith
Peoria, AZ
Dear FRONTLINE,
Your program tonight should be watched by all Americans. I used to have such a high appreciation for Colonel Powell before I watched this PBS documentary and numerous other over the past five years. I appreciate he tried to prove the information he presented at the UN but I have lost all respect that he has remained silent all these years when he could have spoken out as soon as he knew he was duped. His best friend and aide Wilkerson has gone public about the false information but he too has lost faith in Powell and now says he hardly ever speaks to him.
I truly believe if Powell had revealed how he was duped this war could have come to a end years ago. I imagine it won't be long before Powell is out stumping his own book to make himself more millions on top of the huge fees he charges on speaking tours like the rest of Bush's pals.
Vancouver, Canada
Dear FRONTLINE,
Just finished viewing part one of PBS' 'Bush's War' and reading the reactions in the discussions section.
I found Frontline's delivery of the subject unsensational. Very straight forward, dry and if the information wasn't so important I would almost say boring. But when you look at the amount of information and the different angles and number of interviews conducted you can't help but applaud the work of the individuals who collected this body of work. I will reserve judgement until after I see part two.As for the criticism of the title, I believe it is accurate for the program. Whether it is accurate for the war in Iraq is another subject entirely.
Walter McClain
Carmichael, CA
Dear FRONTLINE,
This is one of the most remarkable documentaries I have ever viewed. Again, Frontline is to be commended. I'm so sorry that I viewed it since I now have to question if our soldiers, in fact, did die for an immoral and unjust war.
How do these persons look at themselves and their children each day as they marched us into battle? How can we proclaim a higher moral ground? Shame on us for our rush to war to show how patriotic we were.
The true patriots are those soldiers who believe in America. Four thousand died for us and many more are home maimed and emotionally and mentally wounded.
Even more tragic is that we don't even count the dead and wounded Iraqis as human. If we ask about them we are deemed unpatriotic and un-American.
I need to go and talk to my children. They need to understand why daddy is crying.
Compton, California
Dear FRONTLINE,
The administration has been run by Dick Cheney and the end result politically may well mean the demise of the Republican Party. Never in the history of this county has any President (in this case vice president with the approval of the president) violated their oath of office by so blatantly decimating the Constitution as these men. They both should be run out of office by impeachment and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for their crimes against the people of this country.
These two men have undermined the faith and trust many party members have had in the Republican Party.
Chuck Patti
Pahrump, Nevada
Dear FRONTLINE,
One viewer asks, "How does Bush look at himself in the mirror..?" More to the point, how are Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz et al. permitted to look at themselves in any mirror but that in a jail cell? Since when was fabricating intelligence with the intent to go to war (with the inherent infinity of horrors therein) not a punishable crime? Seriously?
Frank Gage
Atherton, California
Dear FRONTLINE,
Part I views like the defense at the upcoming Nuremberg Trials of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. They're portrayed as a collection of honest wo/men with differing views of what's best for the country.
The amount of material LEFT OUT is beyond the pale. For example, Bush saying before coming into office that the only way to be a significant president was to be a war-time president. For example, by 9/11/2001 Bush was being called the earliest lame-duck president in history. For example, Chalibi was a bank embezzler and wanted in Jordan to serve his sentence. The INC is mentioned as if there's a shred of trust anyone can put in that organization.
So what do get instead? A glimpse of deceit and in-fighting by a gang of criminals, with never a hint of their true nature as liars, egomaniacs ("alpha males" is as close as we got), working on a pre-conceived plan (the Project for a New American Century), Cheney's ties to the oil industry and Halliburton, and on and on.
The main redeeming quality so far is the title, "Bush's War," but on balance, what a disgusting White Wash!
San Francisco, California
Dear FRONTLINE,
It is ironic that the title of your monograph on the war in Iraq is Bush's War, because by watching it one gets the sense that it is much more vicepresident Cheney's war than anybody else's.
Fabrizio Siracusa
Denver, CO
Dear FRONTLINE,
As the President, he is the man. So, the bucks stops with the President. But, as the show has demonstrated, the President is only as good as his advisers.
Frontline's illustration of George Tenet is deserved. So, when the administration bases its decision upon the CIA and their NIE of Iraq, the nation got what it paid for out of Tenet.
I also want to point out that the Congress, neglected in their oversight position, and PBS is discounting that fact. The Army told the Congress twice, that they felt there weren't enough troops. And, the Congress let it pass. But, the show is not over so Frontline may have a chance to redeem themselves.
CDR K. Sudbeck
Monterey, CA
Dear FRONTLINE,
What an insightful and well documented program. It is so disheartening to see proof that members of this administration have lied to achieve their ends, ignored important intelligence and squandered the goodwill we had post 9/11. Where is the leadership? Where is the President during the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq?
I don't understand the lack of shame on the part of those who blindly pushed us into the war, and bear no responsibility for the upheaval and destruction brought to the Iraqi people. No planning, no foresight. It is distressing. When such incompetence is shown in the private sector, people lose their jobs. Why do we not hold our elected officials accountable as well?
Lee Ann Smith-Trafzer
Yucaipa, CA
Dear FRONTLINE,
Sadly, nothing ever changes when you are dealing with the media. PBS continues to allow arrogant, ignorant, and biased newspeople to politicize and second guess the actions of well meaning professionals. War is hell, period. No one wants war, but murderous tyrants do NOT play by any accepted rules and only respond to force. WWII is a perfect example.
The news media helped to keep us out if WWII until Hitler was so powerful that most of the world was engulfed in war! Tens of millions of people needlessly died as a direct result! Just because WMD's were not found AFTER Clinton gave them 8 years to hide them doesn't mean they don't exist! The Iraq's have used WMD's many times and simply hid them.
Everyone makes mistakes, both Democrat or Republican. 9/11 was possible because of Clinton's failure to deal with terrorism in general and, specifically, Iraq! (I worked in the field and know the truth!) Frontline is just a bunch of biased wimps that have NO honor or professionalism and will stop at nothing to distort the truth to their own verson of reality. This Includes the use of totally biased and unqualified "experts" (Often administrators)and disenfranchised, biased government employees in their news reports. Why did they NOT use the actual weapons inspectors, who SAW the WMD's, in their reports?
There has never been a statue erected to a critic, much less disingenuous critics! Frontline is nothing but unprofessional, biased critics.
Richard Flores
Albuquerque, NM
Dear FRONTLINE,
Thank you for presenting the real story behind one of the biggest snow jobs in U.S. history. Those that want to paint this documentary as "leftist" propaganda have to take a long look at themselves in the mirror. This program is reality and you guys need to quick drinking the Neo-Con Kool-Aid and listening to the talking points that poison the radio airwaves daily. How you can still defend this administration after all we have learned the past few years is beyond me.
The biggest crime is using our brave men and women in the Armed Forces as a pawn in the grand Neo-Con plan. Three generations of my family have served this country and I take that service seriously. Unfortunately we have leadership that not only never fought for our country, but actually dodged their service when they were called upon. Very sad.
Birmingham, Alabama
