Quotes of the Day

With the announcement Sunday of the capture of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, a new chapter has been opened in the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. President Bush, in his televised address, told Iraqis that "a hopeful day has arrived" but also warned that "The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq." What do you think? Will Saddam's capture have an impact on anti-American violence in Iraq? What should the U.S. do next?

Some of your responses:

Taking Saddam Hussein out of the Iraqui picture is like taking the knot out of a ballon, the ballon being the anti-american soldiers. They will dissapear, but like a burst ballon they will cause havoc and be hard to find.
Bruno Badilescu
Sydney, Australia

The whole world hopes the U.S. will GO HOME now. Nobody asked the U.S. to invade and destroy Iraq in the first place. The U.S. should now deal at home with the big liar they have as "President" (never really elected).
Alfonso Gumucio Dagron
Guatemala

Like the saying goes 'persistance beats resistance'. Now Iraqis must come together to give their country peace and democracy, something denied to them by Saddam.
Jocelyn Fong
Rennes, France

While the capture of Saddam Hussein was warmly welcomed by President Bush and PM Blair, it was also welcomed by the Iraqi resistance to occupation. A free Saddam was felt like a nightmare by all the Iraqis, including those who committed themselves to fight the occupation.
Wafa N. Nasr
Alexandria, Va.

Now that the threat of Saddam's return is gone, the Shias of Iraq will be more vocal in voicing their opinions and opposing U.S. plans for new Iraqi government. Let us accept the fact that Iraqis are different from Americans and don't share the same priorities (democracy, freedom of speech, free market economy, rights for women and minorities, etc). Setting up a post-Saddam government that is acceptable to the U.S. is going to be the most difficult task.
Vipul Atray
Houston, Texas

The capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq will not dampen the spirits of those who are already against us. More than likely, it will enrage them more and make them fight harder against the ones who captured their leader, even though he was in hiding.
David Saylock
Los Osos, Calif.

I don't think it means much of anything. Of course, it's a big thing for us, however, Hussein didn't even have communication to the outside world with him in his hideout. The US troops should not feel any more comfortable than they did before the capture; the terrorists will still be as active as they were. We can't get too comfortable- there is still a lot to be done.
Juli Jones
Baltimore, Md.

Among the destruction to millions of Iraqi people, we found one of the important "weapons of mass destruction" — Saddam Hussein.
Lynn Deal
Newport Beach, Calif.

It will dampen the enthusiasm of those diabolic creeps still fighting for him. It is pretty humiliating that Saddam has offered to negotiate when he was so eager to encourage others to sacrifice for martyrdom. It also exposes the mega-hypocrisy of (Arafat and) Saddam.
Paul Hardy
Olympia, Wash.

In my view, America was seeking an opportunity to finally retreat. The daily skirmishes with insurgents are taking their toll on the U.S. soldiers. Now that the bad guy is history, U.S. will try to leave with the pretext that soon all will be OK! Finally, for quite some time to come, Saddam loyalists will be on their best and may never be caught, till they themselves change their mind.
Nadeem Shah
Saudi Arabia / Pakistan

The need for a Iraqi Constitution to form the basis for an Iraqi trial of Saddam, will finally give the Iraqi people and the Council a rallying point and some urgency to the process. Short term the security situation might get worse but longer term we will see more Iraqi's demonstrating against the terrorists.
Joe McNeill
Bristow, Va.

You do not measure the war on terror in just a day or a week or even in a month. Our instant-gratification society fueled by a voracious media should learn a lesson from this weekend. Bush is showing that he is more patient than the nine wanna-be's or most pundits.
Trevor Yoakum
Missouri

Dictator dominoes: Good show U.S. of A. Now what are you going to do about Mugabe in Zimbabwe? Or do your morals and political rhetoric not stretch that far?
Stephan Fourie
Cape Town, South Africa

Although the capture of Saddam Hussein is a positive development for the Bush Administration, the people in Iraq will only begin supporting the United States occupation when real, tangible eforts to help the public restore a higher quality of life and basic services are more of a priority, than military crackdowns and an emphasis on maintaining our own business contracts.
Andrew Daniel
San Francisco, Calif.

Saddam's capture is a sign that persistance pays off. It has taken a long time and cost many lives, but if we commit to something fully we will eventually suceed. No doubt we will one day find the hole Osama is hiding in too.
David Versace
Fair Lawn, N.J.

In the long term the capture will mean nothing. The Bush supporters can revel in the glory of this catch right now, and indeed it is glorious. But after the euphoria dies down and reality sets in, it will become quite obvious that when all is said and done Bush has turned a dictatorial state into a terrorist state.
Dave
Manchester, N.H.

It means that the people of Iraq will be able to sleep at night without fear that Saddam will show back up adn cause them more harm, and there will probably still be fighting, but to a large extent, those following the dictator will stop. Those who are fighting just to be terrorists, will not stop. It also means that our troops had a holiday worth missing home for and a better feeling about themselves and what they are doing, by helping this country get back it's life.
Donna Harrington
Bonaire, Ga.

Last Week's Question: Should the U.S. support the Geneva Accords?