INTRODUCTION (2002-2009)

This is a collection of communications I’ve had -- my queries and others’ responses --, with washingtonpost.com. This compilation poses difficulties to readers who have the advantage of hindsight that our discussions were lacking. It is almost a mystery in reverse: we are wondering what will happen when you readers often already know.
Newsmakers and news observers are questioned on current events. Historians may note that some discussions are interestingly prophetic. I fear, that some of my questions will appear, in retrospect, naïve. I hope that exploring perspectives frozen onto a static world can serve to present understandings of what was thought-and what was questioned-at that time. In particular, it should be noted that the discussion on current events in Iraq cover the time prior to the American invasion through the war (or skirmish, as some prefer to categorize it) through the aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein and to the end of the Bush Administration.
It will be noted that I was one of the many voices that had many questions about war with Iraq. President Nixon commented during the Viet Nam War that the Washington Post editorial pages had equivalent powers to military divisions. The Washington Post editorial page, in many people’s opinion including mine, belatedly did question the merits of military force in Iraq. When they reached this opinion, they cited the public opinion stated in letters to their page and the questions in washingtonpost.com, which claims four million readers worldwide, as one of the forces that guided them to examine and then question American policies towards Iraq. It was especially satisfying when it was stated that many staff within the Bush White House regularly read these discussions. To that end, I am glad to have been one voice in the movement that sought peace.
Many subjects are questioned. It is believed these questions included such things as the first printed observation that the Old Man in the Mountain has a new man formed in the mountain to my hope for cooperative government in the lands disputed by Israel and Palestine. Tucker Carlson’s answer to one of my questions became the washingtonpost.com “Quote of the Day” and became one of the early signs that diehard Republicans were abandoning support for then Majority Leader Trent Lott. An aide to President Bush’s praise for FEMA seems premature when they later faced difficulties helping people harmed by Hurricane Katrina. Often, these questions were my attempts to force us to examine our world from various perspectives. Generally, questions were asked because they were things I truly wished to learn. Sometimes, questions were provided to challenge and produce insights from those responding. If it is true there is no such thing as a dumb question, I am glad to discover that most answers I received were vastly informative, even when some are politically evasive.
This material is the copyright of washingtonpost.com. This compilation has no commercial purpose, is copied only as much as needed for this site, and is provided for public review and discussion.
Leon Czikowsky