The Kansas City Star
As news spread that bombs were falling on Baghdad, some Kansas Citians cried. Others cheered.
In small groups or individually, anxious and eager people gathered around televisions and turned on radios Wednesday night to learn what was happening nine time zones away.
Some pledged support for President Bush and U.S. troops, and said it was about time fighting started. Others were stunned, upset or fearful — for Iraqis, for American troops and for repercussions in America.
Whichever side they took on war, many shared this plea: Get this thing over quickly.
At the Quaff, a downtown Kansas City bar, friends Peter Rodgers and Ty Pace disagreed over the war’s merits, though neither was surprised it started so soon after Bush’s deadline for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to give up his rule.
“President Bush is just taking care of what his dad started,” said Rodgers, of Kansas City. “It’s all for a bunch of stupid oil….I hope it goes quickly, because I’ve got a lot of friends in the Marines, and I’m worried.”
Pace was glad. “We’ve dealt with this for too long,” he said.
