Speaks out

Do you think the U.S. government will ever find weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq? If not, do you think U.S. credibility will be
questioned? Do you think we still should have gone to war, Hannah
Miller-Lerman

Graduate student, Anderson School at UCLA

“I suspect they will not find any weapons of mass
destruction. They are hard to hide, but I also wouldn’t be
surprised if it was all a figment of Bush’s imagination. The
United States will definitely lose credibility if weapons are never
found, but I still think we should have gone to war. Saddam was a
cruel and unusual dictator and he still should have been stopped
either way. I think the weapons of mass destruction were a
convenient, useful pretense. Even if I don’t think weapons
will not be found, it will be good if they are because it will
improve the credibility of a war I ultimately believe in.”
Alex Papanicolaoi

First-year, mathematics and economics

“I still think they will find weapons of mass destruction
because I think they most likely hid them somewhere in the country.
But, I don’t think the United States will necessarily lose
credibility if they are never found because either way the leaders
of Iraq were still a threat and needed to be removed. I personally
think there are still weapons and either way the leaders posed a
serious threat. You don’t need big weapons to harm a country,
as was proven by the terrorists in the planes of Sept. 11. So, we
should remove people from power who are openly against the United
States because they pose a threat to national security.” Nita
Nayak

Second-year, physiological science

“I think it is only a matter of time until they find
weapons of mass destruction, because we know they have the
capability to create them, and they are there somewhere. The war
will lose credibility if none are found. I think the U.S.
government is largely using the possession of weapons as a
justification, and if they don’t find them the war would
really have no tangible reasons behind it. Many people only think
it was a matter of time before we did something about their
opposition to our government and way of life. I would like to think
we will find weapons and that will add credibility to the reasons
for war, but it is hard to argue a good reason at this time,
because war is pretty much over. Things have come to an end, but I
don’t think the war would have necessarily been
justified.” Inima Gharavi

Graduate student

“They are supposed to find weapons of mass destruction, so
eventually I think they will. The war is almost over, so I think if
they don’t find any weapons the credibility will definitely
be questioned, because the point of the war was not only to remove
Saddam Hussein, but also to find the weapons of mass destruction. I
also think it has taken a lot of time right now, and people
haven’t really been thinking about the weapons; many have
forgotten and are focusing on the reconstruction process. I still
don’t think we should have gone to war to begin with because
there probably was an easier way to get rid of Saddam Hussein, and
overall I disagree with war and its consequences.” Compiled
by Kelsey Hicks/Daily Bruin Senior Staff; Photos by Daniel
Feldman/Daily Bruin