For those who have children or spouses fighting in Iraq &045;&045; and for those who have lost loved ones in the war &045;&045; the war can’t help but color how they look at this year’s presidential election.

&uot;I’ve always exercised my right to vote, but this time I’ve really paid attention to what’s going on and where each one is coming from,&uot; said Glenda Grayson of Jefferson County, whose husband is serving in Iraq.

Grayson makes no bones about it &045;&045; while she doesn’t think the war itself is wrong, she believes the United States went after the wrong target.

&uot;It was bin Laden who ordered the hit on the Twin Towers,&uot; Grayson said. &uot;And now they say there were no weapons of mass destruction found (in Iraq).&uot;

Other military families also took great interest in this week’s report that no evidence of WMDs has been found in Iraq.

&uot;After seeing the paper, about the weapons of mass destruction, it opened up some wounds,&uot; said Rhonda James-Brown of Natchez, whose son, Henry L. Brown, died in April 2003 in Iraq.

&uot;In my opinion, President Bush should have waited (on war). If given time, it would have worked itself out,&uot; James&045;Brown said, adding that she can’t say which candidate she likes because she hasn’t met either of them personally.

Myrna Washington of Vidalia, whose husband is serving with the 155th Infantry and is training at Camp Shelby for now, agreed.

&uot;From what I heard on the news (about WMDs), we shouldn’t have gone to war at that time,&uot; she said. &uot;They’ve got no evidence, and now they have all these people going to war. What’s the point? But now we’ve started something, and it’s hard to reverse that.&uot;

Now that America is involved in military operations in Iraq, neither candidate can promise a quick solution to the situation, Grayson said.

&uot;Bush can’t make up (his war decision). But Kerry can’t just go over there and get the troops back&uot; that easily, Grayson said.

And Grayson pointed out that, as a self-described undecided voter, the war is not the only issue she’s considering when casting her vote. There are still issues such as the economy, education and abortion to consider, she said.

And when it comes down to it, the election’s outcome is in God’s hands, James-Brown said. &uot;To be honest,&uot; she said, &uot;whomever God chooses in OK with me.&uot;