“One has to believe that Saddam Hussein...

“One has to believe that Saddam Hussein is struggling to maintain his

persona before his own followers. Saddam Hussein will soon be joining

[Osama] bin Laden, and bin Laden will soon be joining Mussolini,

Adolph Hitler and all those other tyrants who are burning in hell.”

-- Dana Rohrabacher, Costa Mesa’s U.S. Representative, on the fate

of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden

“I believe in our troops. I have no concern that something may

happen here. I don’t think Iraq has the capability to pull off

something like that.”

-- Steven Ras, a Costa Mesa resident, who said the war is being

fought to “protect ourselves”

“We should have done more. But I think we have the ability to win

it, although we don’t have much support from other countries.”

-- Christina Dorsman, a Costa Mesa resident, suggesting the United

States could have done more to avoid war

“I know Cass must be very close to Iraq right now. And I have

butterflies in my stomach.”

-- Carrie Spence, a Costa Mesa resident, on her Marine reservist

husband just hours before the war started Wednesday

“We’re spending billions of dollars on a war that will make the

rich richer and the rest of the world more dangerous.”

-- Federico Moreno, co-organizer of a war protest walkout at

Orange Coast College on Thursday morning and afternoon

“Our response is, we’re not going to teach it, we’re going to

respond to it.”

-- Charlene Metoyer, Eastbluff Elementary principal, on not

teaching elementary students about the war unless questions arise