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Profile: Voter Reaction to President Bush's Speech to the U.N.
Morning Edition: September 13, 2002
 Reaction to Bush's U.N. Speech on Iraq
BOB EDWARDS, host:
President Bush's speech on Iraq yesterday was heard by a group of college students in Pennsylvania. Most of them think the president did make the case for attacking Iraq. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.
BRIAN NAYLOR reporting:
In the student lounge at the Penn State, Harrisburg campus yesterday, a half dozen members of Matthew Woessner's Public Policy class watched President Bush on a TV set in a corner of the room.
President GEORGE W. BUSH: By breaking every pledge, by his deceptions and by his cruelties, Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself.
NAYLOR: We talked to four of the students, all of whom believe the president was convincing in his argument that an attack on Iraq is justified. Vanessa Adams is a 20-year-old junior from nearby Hershey.
Ms. VANESSA ADAMS: We've given Iraq too many chances on to make Saddam better, but I really think that we probably should take some military action towards him because there's been too many people tortured. He's gone after other countries, I mean, with--how he went after Iran and then he went after Kuwait and who knows? He might be going after us.
Ms. LIANNA ZORELLI: My name is Lianna Zorelli(ph). I believe he made a pretty good case. I think that he left a lot of things out that I believe are pretty important, on things like if he was to go into Iraq, what would happen if they remove Saddam Hussein? Who comes after that? Other things--if he was to try to put in a democracy there, is there really a framework there for that? Do they have the institutions there for democracy?
NAYLOR: Leah Kithcart is a senior and Public Policy major who also believes the president was convincing that Iraq poses a threat, but she says Mr. Bush still needs to address the American public.
Ms. LEAH KITHCART: Just to let people know what they're really going to face because I think we need citizen support especially for our Congress members and stuff like that to make decisions and vote and decide what they want to do with this. And I think Bush needs presidential support as well from the public so if he addresses what would really change or how things would be beneficial for us, he'll have more of the American public backing.
NAYLOR: Richard Biumogesha(ph), a native Ugandan and now a US citizen, says he strongly believes Congress should back the president on Iraq.
Mr. RICHARD BIUMOGESHA: I think that they should support the president, our commander in chief. He has that duty, but if he engages in talking and going back and forth, it wouldn't work. Now would it impact on my voting? Yes, it would.
NAYLOR: Penn State, Harrisburg sits in the district of Congressman George Gekas. A Republican, Gekas faces a tough re-election battle from Democrat Tim Holden, who used to represent a neighboring district. The Bush administration would like Congress to vote before the November election on a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, but that vote will probably not on its own determine who gets Vanessa Adams' support.
Ms. ADAMS: I look at other issues--what they're going towards, not just what's going on over in Iraq. There's other issues that are going on in the state that I live in and it's not just all Iraq. I mean, other things are going on within the state that has to be expressed.
NAYLOR: A quiet, pretty campus, Penn State, Harrisburg sits on what used to be an Air Force base and only recently began admitting underclassmen. So not surprisingly, there is not much of a tradition of political activism here. That's frustrating for Public Policy major Lianna Zorelli.
Ms. ZORELLI: Nobody wants to talk about politics. It's just a dead rat sitting on the table. Nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody wants to really look at it either, and that's just the way it is. I don't think the people are as involved in politics anymore. There's just so many other things going on that they see important and it's kind of sad.
NAYLOR: The apathy here and elsewhere may change if the armed forces, many of whom are the same age, are, in fact, sent into harm's way, but for now at least, these students are ready to back the president as he pushes towards action against Iraq. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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