I would like to hear the president admit that the war in Iraq had nothing to do with al-Qaida. I would also like to hear how he intends to hand over a peaceful transition of authority in Iraq and how he intends to maintain peace in Iraq. I would like, in essence, to hear the "exit" strategy. I would ask how he expects the cooperation of the Arab nations, how he expects to alter the landscape of the Middle East, when our leaders have no clue about the nature of Islamic culture and history.

Kymberly Henson, Pleasant Ridge

I would like President Bush to come out and unapologetically explain to people that while his tax cuts were fixing the bad economy he inherited, which was made worse by Bill Clinton's eight-year non-response to al-Qaida, Democrats were protecting the frivolous lawsuits that were causing the health care crisis, blocking judges and wrecking California.

Robert Moon, Montgomery

I'd like to hear President Bush accept responsibility - for listening to the wrong people in rushing into Iraq, for ignoring his advisers who cautioned that there was no way to exit Iraq without causing even more turmoil, for fostering terrorism by confirming the Islamic world's worst fears of the United States, and for all the young, brave lives lost and yet to be lost because of his arrogance and errors. My question would be: How soon can you leave?

Scott Knox, Clifton

Although President Bush will be overwhelmed with questions pertaining to Iraq and specifically Matt Maupin, I would hope he sticks to the questions that pertain to his visit, which is the campaign. Bush has defended his actions and decisions time and time again. It is now time to start focusing on the re-election. He has to start overcoming those hurdles that he has caused himself and regaining those lost votes, November is not that far off. I would like to hear a solid "plan" on what his campaign will be focusing on. So I think that my question to the president would be "What do you think that the No. 1 issue in this election year is?"

Jenifer Kennedy, Clifton

I think a lot of people that are critical with the war on terror and the actions that the United States has taken, particularly in Iraq, simply don't understand what is at stake and why the United States needed to take action. They only see what the media gives them, and that is mostly negative. I would like the president to simplify the reasons why the United States has to be proactive with Iraq and with terrorists - basically, say to all Americans that we need to take it to them before they bring it to us.

The question I would ask the president if I could would be, "Do you see the continuation of the Patriot Act as essential to the future of this country?"

Ben Stauss, Bridgetown

My questions for President Bush would be: What is the timetable and/or plan for getting out of Iraq? And the follow-up would be: How far are we going to go in the rebuilding effort in Iraq? Surely they don't need us to rebuild everything for them. Third and last, if you are re-elected and a civil war breaks out in Iraq and we are already out of there and they ask for help, will we go back?

Carol Knose, Bevis

I would like to hear the president tell us that his administration has a concrete plan for victory in Iraq and the Middle East: a plan that will be aggressive and one that will reduce our American casualties. Such a plan would have to include an all-out war against terrorists to the degree that the entire world will understand that terrorism is unacceptable. Period.

Second: In spite of rhetoric to the contrary, our economy is still in a bad way. We know it takes time for positive moves to show up in the economy, but the American need relief now. What can the president and his administration do to help people now?

Henry Williamson, Fairfield

America leads the world in high technology, entrepreneurship and can-do. We have eradicated polio and created the interstate highway system, the Internet and the atomic bomb. If we are to make our homeland secure, why is there no aggressive national push to develop (and export, rather than import and fight over) alternative energy technology, such as solar power? Why are clean air and alternative energy not made priorities, instead of rolling back power plant regulations and settling for minimal increases in fuel economy?

John Hutton, Mount Adams

I would like to hear an actual outline of how we, as a nation, intend to address the upcoming stages of the war on terror - something that proves we are not only reacting towhat happens to us. I would ask him what his plans for unifying our relations with the world community are. I would also ask him what he believes the current state of the American spirit is.

George Corneliussen, Montgomery

I don't know what I would like to hear, or what I would like to ask him, which in itself is interesting. I suppose it means I trust him to do the job he was elected to do, and haven't any worries about the way he is handling it. The economy is recovering - at least everybody I know looking for work has found it, and we haven't had any more terror attacks on our soil, so the war on terrorism seems to be going our way. What else is there to worry about?

Russ Thomas, Melbourne, Ky.

While we have some foreign support in the war effort, we certainly do not have enough, as demonstrated in April by the extension of service of 20,000 men and women who, while preparing to return home, were told they had to stay another three months. If the president had had the foresight to understand such a possibility, would he still have elected to conduct a pre-emptive strike? Does he know about Keith "Matt" Maupin? What if, theoretically, our hometown hero was one of those 20,000 returned to duty and is now held hostage? Does "mission accomplished" apply to Matt? What would have been the cost of waiting until we had more support? What is the cost of not doing so? Does he think part of that cost is American lives?

Cliff Adams, Mount Washington

I'd like to know how President Bush responds to the reports that America is now regarded as a danger, and that since this war has been started, the world is not safe - according to Kofi Annan. I'd really like to know if Bush understands just how polarized this country has become, over this war, the gay marriage issue, to name just two. Very hateful things are being thrown back and forth, all in the name of "Republican" and "Democrat" - and I really don't think he has any idea just how heated the environment is.

Margaret Brown, Norwood

The only question I would ask President Bush is how he can, in good conscience, run the type of dishonest campaign he is running and still sleep at night. I am referring to the Bush campaign commercials I see daily that distort John Kerry's record and comments from surrogates I see on political talk shows.

This seems to be a habit of Bush - he uses surrogates and paid advertising to attack his opponents, questioning and belittling the achievements of men superior to him, in order to make himself look better. He did the same thing to John McCain in the 2000 Republican primaries.

Mark Rogers, Westwood

I am old enough to remember many promises that were made and broken by both parties over the years. I voted for you and I supported you. I believe in your noble causes for the Iraq war. I believed you when you told us there were WMDs in Iraq. I am worried about daily troop casualties. For the right reason I, like most Americans, will support you regardless of the cost. However, I am uncertain if you really have a plan or if we are planning as we go along. I am afraid of losing more precious American lives for nothing, as we did in Vietnam. I want to believe you have a plan.

Henry Chai, North College Hill

I'd ask the president: If a marital indiscretion can be grounds for impeachment, can lying to Americans about a war be an impeachable offense? I'd ask if he thinks diverting money, without approval, from the war in Afghanistan to fund the buildup for the war in Iraq is an impeachable offense.

Eric McDaniel, Bond Hill

Where in his job description or the Constitution does it say a president's job is to foster worldwide democracy? He launched a war based on incorrect or fabricated information regarding weapons of mass destruction ... why can't he admit the error? I respect his strong religious faith, but I believe he is overstepping the boundaries on separation of church and state by supporting and promoting causes like right to life, abstinence-only education, and hetero-only marriage.

Eric Lose, Sycamore Township

I'd like to hear from the president that he is stopping his attacks on John Kerry. Kerry, because of his voting record, is the most beatable of the Democrats. If the Dems realize how vulnerable he is, they'll nominate someone who might not be carrying so much baggage.

Chuck Klein, Downtown

Mr. President, you say that the invasion of Iraq was justified and an important part of the war on terror. Initially your administration claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that there was a link between Iraq and terrorists organizations. Both of these claims have proven to be false. How do you justify this invasion?

The number of U.S. military members killed in Iraq is nearing 800. Are you willing to encourage your own daughters to enlist in the Army or Marines given the importance that you have placed on this invasion?

Dale Adams, Franklin, Ohio

As a Bush supporter, I am looking forward to hearing the president in person (this) evening. I believe the war in Iraq is going to be the pivotal issue in this fall's election, so I'm anxious to hear his remarks on Iraq - how the transition plan is proceeding, how much longer we can expect our troops to be there, etc. As the mother of a son with significant developmental disabilities, I would like to ask him what assurance he could give me that SSI and Medicaid benefits will be available to help take care of my son after my husband and I are gone.

Kathleen Deyer Bolduc, Greenhills

1. I would like to hear his plans for a more simplified/equitable tax system, one that just didn't shift the collection/burdens from the central government to the states.

2. Would it take a constitutional amendment to eliminate the income ceiling on Social Security withholding? Wouldn't that alone put us a significant step closer to a true universal health care system if the additional revenues were applied solely to that purpose?

Alan MacFarland, Tallmadge, Ohio

1. Considering the fact that communication in this world is now instant and generally speaking the press will air a story before actually checking it and double-checking for error, and also considering the fact that a single company can now own multiple TV and radio stations, don't you think that it would be highly beneficial to limit the access that the press has, especially TV and radio, to our soldiers and the war in general? The press has forgotten that everything they say, do and produce has an immediate effect on not only the families of the soldiers but also the soldiers themselves.

2. Mr. President: The suicide rate among the military has skyrocketed in recent months. I feel that many of these can be traced back to the fact that our military men and women are subject to watching all the war debate on TV, reading about it on the Internet and hearing it on the radio. Considering May is National Mental Health Month, can you tell us what you are doing to help the soldiers in Iraq while they are there?

Paul Jones, Green Township

During your present term, how have you fulfilled your Campaign 2000 claim of being a uniter, not a divider? Mr. President, do you condone Rush Limbaugh's calling liberal Democrats stupid idiots at the same time he daily sings your praises? How does your vision of what America should be differ from Rush Limbaugh's?

Paul L. Whiteley Sr., Louisville

When are you going to acknowledge that you took us to war in Iraq under false pretenses, that there are no weapons of mass destruction, there is no link between Saddam and 9-11, that Saddam posed no imminent threat to the United States - all reasons given to justify the dispatch of American troops?

The reasons you offer now - Saddam was a horrific dictator, we are bringing democracy to Iraq - were not the reasons you presented to the American public before March 2003. When are you going to accept responsibility for that misrepresentation?

Gerald E. Kerns, Deerfield Township

The president claims to be a follower of Jesus. What did Jesus say about pre-emptive war?

What did Jesus say about war in general?

What did Jesus tell us about telling the truth?

Dick Schladen, Aurora, Ind.