Many people in the United States disagree on whether the U.S. should go to war with Iraq. On October 7, 2002, President Bush delivered a speech in Cincinnati, OH, presenting his opinions on the situation in Iraq. Mark Strauss and Thomas Friedman both composed articles opposing Bush's stance on Iraq. Strauss' paper, entitled "Attacking Iraq. (Think Again.)," challenged Bush's view on weapons inspectors and his feelings on Saddam Hussein. Friedman's article, entitled "Laying the groundwork for a new Iraq requires allies, U.N. Support," challenges Bush's stance on whether or not the United States has allies if it decides to attack Iraq. Bush, Strauss, and Friedman are very opinionated about the situation in Iraq. Weapons inspectors, Saddam Hussein, and possible allies are three topics of argument in the United States touched on by Bush, Strauss, and Friedman.
In 1991, to end the Persian Gulf War, Iraq agreed to stop the production of weapons of mass destruction, destroy all pre-existing weapons of mass destruction and remove all support from terrorist organizations. The Iraqi regime has not complied with the 1991 agreement and is making more chemical and biological weapons. In Bush's speech and Strauss' and Friedman's articles, all three men offer their opinions on dealing with and eliminating this defiance. Bush states that to eliminate this problem, the United States must stray away from routine inspections. He believes that the U.S. must take a much more harsh stance. The United States should demand immediate access to "any site, at any time, without pre-clearance, without delay, without exceptions" (Bush 5). Also, the United States must force Iraq to destroy all weapons of mass destruction. These actions must take place in the presence of U.N. inspectors to ensure proper elimination. In addition to these rules, Bush also includes surveying the depth of the illegal activity by the Iraqi regime; the United States must be allowed t...