Speech draws a passionate Web reaction

It's not a scientific poll. And the discourse is not always civil. What's clear is this: Reaction to President Bush's proposal to increase U.S. forces in Iraq shows passions are hot.

Most of the more than 100 readers who posted comments at philly.com about the president's speech Wednesday night opposed his plan to add 21,500 troops to Iraq to "break the cycle of violence."

But some expressed strong support for the president, a reluctance to "cut and run."

Here is a sample of the comments (the names of the contributors cannot be verified):

"It is time for us to get the hell out of Iraq. We have watched the trial of Saddam Hussein and he was convicted and hung by an Iraqi court system. Most of his bully boys have been captured or killed. We have been training an Iraqi police force for a couple of years now to establish order in their own communities. How long does it take?"

- S.J. Matthews
"It's past time to stop wasting American lives and dollars in this no-win situation. Get out now. I fully support those who have served in Iraq. I loathe those who sent them."

- S. Moore
"Please people please realize that this war is not about President Bush trying to get rich, or trying to get oil, or trying to get the man that tried to kill his father. It is about a man, a Godly man, who realizes that in order to be safe, then we need to go on the offense and stop those who intended to harm us. God Bless President Bush and those who stand with him during this time."

- Fan of Bush in NC
"I sure hope we continue to hunt these extremists down so that they don't have as much of an opportunity to attack our country again! Cut and run will only embolden the extremist!"

- American
"There is no doubt in my mind that the 20,000+ US troops will do their absolute best to salvage something from this, but the real key to success lies with the 10-12,000 promised Iraqi troops. For a government that couldn't find four professional, disciplined, and loyal guards to preside over the execution of Saddam this figure seems impossible to meet."

- Skeptical in NJ
"President Bush is in a tough situation and has made a difficult decision. However, this is the right move for our country in securing Iraq and making the region more stable. Please continue to support our troops and President Bush through this difficult year to come."

- Matt
"It's time to impeach this president. He said that he's responsible for this debacle and now it's time to hold him accountable so no future president thinks they can get away with something like this."

- Mike P
"Too little, too late. Partition the country, involve the other regional powers, and get the heck out . . .. The lives of my niece and nephew are at risk and I don't want them wasted on Bush's ill-conceived attempt at imperialism."

- Dave Dean
"Until the Democrats can come up with a better, realistic plan what else do we have? We cannot cut and run."

- Randy Marks

Post your own comments at http://go.philly.com/iraqbush

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