In The Mail: Powell Pros and Cons

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I watched with great interest the story on Secretary of State Colin Powell's misleading the U.N. (and the American public) on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction program.

To those of us who were opposed to the invasion of Iraq, it was clear from the outset that Bush and his top aides were reading the intelligence in the most favorable way to induce Congress to declare war.
-- Tim Erickson

Thank you very much for airing your show featuring Greg Thielmann, who basically debunks what has been told to us by this administration. Frankly, we have been lied to as a nation and I am glad that you saw fit to have this expert on your show. More than 300 of our soldiers are now dead because this administration saw fit to lie not only to us, but to them. Their lives meant nothing to this administration. Thousands upon thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens have died because Bush lied. How anyone can still trust this administration is beyond me ... Thank you again for presenting this story to the American public who needs help separating fact from fiction and propaganda.
-- Mary MacElveen

You guys are beyond belief. Where is the fair and balanced news report? Continue your left wing agenda, and get what you deserve. Fair is fair, and your guys are so anti-Bush that you don't know what fair is anymore. You have to have both sides of a story, and you don't.
-- David

The segment on evidence leading to the war in Iraq was great. I didn't think any of the evidence presented at the time was very strong and now feel justified for being skeptical. There is no other word for what was fed to the American people but "lies," and I thank you for presenting the truth ... I'm glad to see that part of the real story has come out.
-- Charlotte Courie

It's about time a serious source took the administration to task, and put an end to the dishonesty, deceit and destruction of public trust by the current administration.
-- Hal Pawluk

I waited and waited, but alas, no rebuttal from anyone to this report. You asked Colin Powell and he declined, but how hard did you look for anyone who could give a different viewpoint? Balanced report? This is really beating a dead horse. We will never know exactly what was known, by whom, when, where, why, etc. Let's deal with the realities of rebuilding Iraq and bringing our soldiers home.
-- PMP

Great job of exposing this administration's lies and distortions. Woods and Thielmann have made their views available for months now. The question is: Why didn't you ask them for their expert opinions before the war? I am furious at the mass media's refusal to investigate the allegations made by Powell, Bush, Cheney, Rice, and Rumsfeld. The administration will not be able to produce a single expert witness to rebut your show.
-- Foster Campbell

Thank you for having the courage to present this story. I only wish that we as a country had talked more about the validity of the evidence before we went to war. I never believed Bush or Cheney on these questions. However, eight or 10 months ago, I did think that both Colin Powell and Tony Blair were trustworthy men. Both of them seemed to genuinely believe there was a threat, but both of them wanted to go the U.N. route. Unfortunately, neither of them had the suasion that Rumsfeld, Perle, and Cheney did, and we quickly abandoned any pretense of multilateralism.

I thoroughly approved of the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda. However, I was not ready to invade a country unprovoked. I wanted to see genuine evidence. I watched Colin Powell's presentation to the U.N. and I was disappointed in him because I did not think he had made the case.

So now we are in this unbelievably expensive, intractable situation in Iraq. We have certainly stirred up millions of young Muslim men who are resentful and have nothing better to do than to think up ways to destroy the U.S. We have alienated many of our allies, who are trying to make up with us in spite of ourselves ... I think in years to come, we will look back on this period and this presidency as one of the darkest and most regressive in American history.
-- Leslie Smith

Americans really need to know how much they have been intentionally misled by this administration ... The media have been unbelievably lenient with this president and his administration. Most people really do believe that George W. Bush won the popular vote and they also believe Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, and therefore this atrocious and costly war is somehow justifiable. Thank you again, and please keep searching for the truth behind the current administration. There is likely much more to uncover and the people desperately need to know.
-- J. Simpson

I am absolutely furious with your network for airing this story without a rebuttal. This is a dangerous subject for you to cover, especially when we have dangerous people here trying to kill us. You have single-handedly decided on your own to discredit our country. What I would like to know is why you did not try harder to find the people who agreed with Mr. Powell -- just the people who did not agree with him? Also, if he was such an expert, why did he "retire" four months before Mr. Powell presented this report? And, if he was was not there the last four months, how did he know all the data that Mr. Powell had? He didn't, it's as simple as that.

I expect you to backtrack and find the staff who were in support of Mr. Powell's speech, and allow them the courtesy to respond. You owe us this. I am sick and tired of the liberal media, and you have definitely reaffirmed my distrust of you. When I listen to a story, I expect both sides, so I can make an educated decision. It is not your responsibility to make my decisions for me.
-- Ron and Vicki Beaton

What courage! Thank you so much! Something never seemed right in the build-up to this war. How was Saddam a danger and threat to the U.S.? A lot of questions and no answers or explanations from this administration. Keep up the good work!
-- Gary Houghteling

I would suspect that the Bush administration won't be too thrilled with it [your broadcast], because it points out what we have all surmised and suspected -- that we went to war based on doctored intelligence. I could just be politically incorrect here and say the American people, the United Nations, the Congress and the Senate were told a series of lies. I wonder how many people with family members over in Iraq, or whose family members have been killed or wounded in Iraq were watching this particular segment. How outraged they must be! I don't think this administration should be allowed to get away with this dishonesty, and should be held accountable.
-- Sue Brown

Please do not let this story die. It is obvious that the Bush administration lied to the American people to take this country to war in Iraq. The scope of this and the magnitude of the wrong that has been done is almost unfathomable. But people have died and more will die. For whatever corrupt reasons, this administration took the country to war. Is it really possible that the entire administration is guilty of starting an illegal war? What enormous ramifications does this hold for our country?
-- K. Jordan Chadwick

No one can accuse you guys of being "balanced." I kept waiting for the other side to be represented - an opposing viewpoint offered. Yet, nothing. Apparently, the three guys you interviewed are the last word on Iraq. Did you even ask any administration officials to respond? How about Secretary Powell or David Kay? Probably not, because that would have ruined the story you were trying to tell. As for myself, the mass graves, torture chambers and rape rooms are reason enough to have stopped Saddam's brutal reign. In one segment, you have confirmed my desire to continue to stay away from network news shows. I like hearing both sides, and making my own mind up. After this one-sided anti-administration, anti-Powell, anti-Bush story, is it any wonder why most Americans think the news media is too liberal?
-- Bonnie Castillo

There are no words that can accurately describe the deliberate creation and misleading of the American people on the need for war in Iraq. We've become the laughingstock of the entire world. Our foreign policy, our future position in the world and the trust of the American people have been violated. It is not a pleasant feeling and will not go away for time to come.
-- Richard Manzi

I believe there is much to be uncovered. It sort of reminds me of Watergate days. I am just an ordinary citizen attempting to make sense of all that has transpired in our run-up to war with Iraq. I have written letters, and have asked questions. I am now beginning to feel as though some of the bricks from the wall are falling away and my voice (along with many others) is being heard.

I always looked to the media to dig out the truth, to ask the hard questions, and it didn't seem like that was being done any more. I kept coming back to a question to which I had no answer: If the media doesn't ask the hard questions of those who are leading this country, who will? I certainly won't be heard. ... I feel a sense of relief that truth is being pursued. And most of all, I feel some shade of optimism that there are still some journalists who are continuing to dig and search and hunt for truth.
-- Rebecca Flaherty

Your story seemed to focus on trying to prove Mr. Powell's speech to the U.N. was misleading. Certainly, no large depots of WMD's have been found, but some mobile labs have been found, and a few missiles -- strictly against the U.N. sanctions -- have been found. It seems as if your broadcast is either trying to lead your audience in the direction of your own way of thinking, or your reporters are not intelligent enough to get both sides of the story. Either way, your broadcast is a great example of why the general public feels that mass media is biased, no matter the side of the fence you happen to stand.
-- rmblount