Dear FRONTLINE,

This is one of the most informative and disturbing FRONTLINE programs ever on the characters and events leading up to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It explains WHY the Bush administration has been so utterly incompetent in finding bin Laden, fighting al Qaeda and in planning and executing the war and post-war situation in Iraq.

It is important to see Bush's inner circle of advisors, whose parallel paths to power and close ties go back to the Nixon adminstration. It's as if Cheney is the de facto president and Rumsfeld is his right hand man. What this amounts to is a neoconservative COUP of executive branch facilitated by the naive "groupthink" of an unquestioning media and rubber stamping Congress and a misinformed public!

Ulla Sarmiento

Dear FRONTLINE,

This is an amazing piece of journalism and should be shown again before the election. Anyone who has doubts about the intentional misleading of Americans on Iraq by the Bush/Neo-con administration must see this documantary!

There is no bias here, but a view behind the scenes of a disgraceful and cynical manipulation of the American public by Uber-hawks that have consequently bungled post war Iraq and eroded our military in the process.

Ralph Stuart

Dear FRONTLINE,

I have never been a supporter of the Bush administration. However, I have a deep respect for Powell and found him to be the one ray of light in the administration.

To disregard the opinions of Powell and other Military leaders when going to war was completely irresponsible. Rumsfeld has taken a PROVEN doctrine and thrown it out the window so that he can "transform" the military. Why transform something that is not broken?

Deborah McKee
Lehigh, Fl

Dear FRONTLINE,

Excellent program. Clearly states facts that are already known by most of us in the active military.

As far as the plan for post-war Iraq, a junior Army sergeant can tell you it takes far more SOLDIERS for stabilization that to fight a battle. An M1A1 tank can destroy a target 3 km away, but that capability doesn't help when trying to settle neighbor disputes, stop looting, and rebuild infrastructure. I support the president, but Rumsfeld and Wolf need to go.

Also, remember general officers are political appointments by Congress, and they don't achive that rank by challenging the system or telling civilian leadership "no."

John Bechtol
Madison, Wisconsin

Dear FRONTLINE,

I have read all the comments and I am still amazed at how the audience can see the same show and come away with such different views. What I saw on Frontline, and I, too, missed the World Series game gladly, was a fair and informative disection of a failed attempt by civilians to go to war and ignore the advise of their military leaders on how to succeed. What amazes me is that the Bush Administration had the opportunity to speak and explain their side. They chose not to do that. I wonder why?

Several responded that the timing was questionable, well, frankly I wish it had happened sooner and could be repeated, again. Perhaps it takes time and gathering all the information that has to be presented gave Frontline no other choice. I am grateful that you were able to show it now, I only wish you had advertised but I will assume that since funds are so hard to come by, airing it at all must have been miraculous.

I salute you for this program, it answered so many questions and I could only hope that some of those who are so eager to support this administration will see this documentary. And to those who are so eager to send our young men and women over there to die, so when are you planning on volunteering your sons and daughters?

Judi Wood
W. Palm Beach, FL

Dear FRONTLINE,

Rumfeld's War abandoned any pretext at journalistic objectivity. A balanced examination of the issues would have contributed enormously to the national debate on military size and Iraq. By playing to a narrower audience, Frontlines missed an opportunity to engage all Americans on the overriding topic of our day. Your timing, one week before the election, is also suspicious.

It seems Americans these days can only find a balanced treatment of issues on C-Span. Your editorial staff need to spend some time at C-Span to learn the difficult art of journalistic objectivity.

Jesse Wright
Marquette, Michigan

Dear FRONTLINE,

I watched the entirety of Rumsfeld's war hoping it wil go on longer, but one-and-half hours of uninterrupted journalistic top-notch programming is the best one can ask for.

One item that I came with, is that Donald Rumsfeld bullies everyone he can, and fires those who don't agree with him. It is a shame that a civilian can cut short the career of an army general like General Shinseki. I also came away with the fact that Colin Powell is strong, smart and unshakeable; I vote democrat, but I will vote for him if he ever runs for president.

I Raage
Woodbridge, Va

Dear FRONTLINE,

This documentery was clearly biased and very one sided towards smearing the Bush adminstration. There are two sides to every story and the public only recieved one distorted viewpoint. The media guests on this program and the disgruntled generals were obvously hand picked to pander to anti Bush politics.

The fact is that anyone can produce a convincing piece of journalism that preys on hindsight. This documentry failed to be fair and balanced and did nothing to inform the puplic of anything thing this administration did correct. I am not impressed with PBS or those who so easily bought into this program.

mark farina
montreal, wi

Dear FRONTLINE,

Terrific program - clear and concise. The program explained to me the full background of the Iraq situation. I'm a British citizen and try to see both sides of the Republican and Democratic issues. Amazing, that such an individual could bully into submission so many people in the Pentagon and White House. Sad that President Bush retains Rumsfeld's services. No wonder America has lost so much support in Europe.

james hodges
bethesda, maryland

Dear FRONTLINE,

Frontline,
I enjoyed this war in Washington. Bottom line, politicians have no business overruling generals estimates on troop level requirements. It's a classic example of politicians creating policy yet not being in touch reality and refusal to listening to experts for proper implementation.

These cabinet members shunned Gen. Colin Powell when he is the only one who faught an unjust viet nam war and now has to watch his close minded administration botch another foreign invasion. PBS is not being partisan. Bush should make policy on how to sip beer and use cocaine. He knows nothing about combat and neither does Rumsfeld of Cheney. These officials should have been more focused on American soldiers and innocent Iraqi's than on Halliburton contracts. It is funny people are so pro-bush that they can not set aside their biases and recognize the obvious failure Iraq is. Bring our brave soldiers home!

Once again, it is scary having politicians who have never been in a war, ignoring generals recommendations who have served honorably.

eric noneya
poway, ca

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you for airing this documentary. It was a very thought-provoking examination of the path to war with Iraq.

As a viewer, I want to be informed not indoctrinated. What kind of country would it be if we couldn't be critical of our leaders and hold them to a high standard? This is a issue that concerns all Americans and we don't want the edited version.

Ann Riley
Goffstown, NH

Dear FRONTLINE,

Your program, Rumsfeld's War, laid a foundation of historical chronology and then summarized the events of the past 1 1/2 years quite well. I applaud your efforts. As you explained in your program Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were invited to present their countering viewpoints, but declined. The charge that your presentation was one-sided was facilitated by their unwillingness to appear and refute the points and opinions that could possibly be in error. That says to me that they're waffling. Meanwhile, our troops are dying.

What I find more disturbing is the response herein of the "Stepford Neo-Cons" and their blind allegiance to the "stay on message" mentality of the Bush Administration. How do we, as a nation, overcome the stubborn refusal to face facts?

I remember listening to the news of increasing US casualties in the summer of 2003 and quickly realized that a guerilla war was underway. When Rumsfeld announced to reporters, in that condescending tone, that there was no evidence of guerilla tactics I knew a policy of propaganda had begun in earnest and the "War on Terror" was in trouble.

I will continue to financially support PBS every chance I get. And if you ever lose your endowment, I'll double it! Bless you all. It must be tough to uncover the dark side of American Policies and Politicians.

D S Hamilton
Tempe,, Arizona

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thanks to Frontline for producing this program.

My impression of Wofowitz, Cheny, and Rumsfield is that they are idealogues who never had to serve their country in war so have no understanding of what it is to commit young people and civilians to die for causes they decide we should all be forced to accept. I would force them to do the fighting. I'm sure they would not last long. I think we all need to be far more alert to the tendency to seize power of some.

I do not accept the neocon world view of assertive preemptive action in the world. Maybe it would be helpful if we as a people could have some awareness of what it must be like to be "freed" and blown up in your own country. Maybe then, we would not be so eager to wish it on others. We are so frightened, mostly by our own ignorance and lack of compassion for others. Does anyone seriously buy the line that others "hate our freedom". No, they rather hate our arrogance and willingness to take from them.

Georgina Vaughn
Keaau, Hawaii

Dear FRONTLINE,

Thank you for an absolutely amazing piece of journalism, "Rumsfeld's War." It was so well done, that I was left almost in shock when it was over. How frightening -- and heartbreaking --it is to see exactly how a few very powerful men have been able to push their terrible agendas, even though their plans defy reason, the facts, experience, and expert advise. I am not particularly religious, but I found myself praying at the end of the program that a Higher Power would somehow deliver us from this awful and unjustified War Without End.

Ellen Eggers
Sacramento, California

Dear FRONTLINE,

I appreciate your objective view on issues that we are all having to deal with leading up to the election. I find it very troubling that PBS is the only place that I can find objective journalism these days. I think it is a true sign that our system is failing us. People who are trully concerned with the well-being of the future of the American people and people throughout the world seem to have lossed their voice in these major issues. The willingness of the media and the government to write off people who are concerned with vital issues of security for the future of the human race as "whining liberals" really scares me. Again, thank you for your report and your time.

Jonathan Davey
Muncie, IN