I have a problem. I agree absolutely with those who oppose this war. It was a morally wrong from the beginning... we never should have been there in the first place.

I also agree with those who say President Bush should be impeached for lying to Americans and to the global community about why we should have gone to this war.

So where is my problem? I disagree with those same people about how and when we should pull out. I agree with Powell -- despite being upset with his complicity in Administration deceit -- on his statement that if we break it we own it.

Here is how I come to my own position ethically. We violated national sovereignty of another State, having lied about the threat that nation posed to us, and killed thousands of the members of that nation's citizens to invade a nation we did not belong in. We further violated the populace of that nation through our arbitrary arrests and torture of members of that nation. All of that that was immoral. Our President will, I think, answer for that; and so will those of us who supported our President in that effort.

But... we broke that nation. I agree with those who argue that, should we leave Iraq now, we will leave the citizenry of that nation to an anarchic bloodbath.

This happened before. I know, for example, we engaged in Afghani and Somali efforts against the Soviet Union, then abandoned them when they needed our support most. The results were catastrophic.

I am still sorting through these issues and where I stand on them. But for now, while I oppose the war for idealogical reasons, I am inclined to think we cannot abandon the citizens of the country we engaged in war against... for the same ideological reasons.

I am looking for a way to withdraw our troops from Iraq. But I think we need to find a way to withdraw that empowers the invaded country to defend itself and sustain order.

Multiple questions play into my ethical assessment. First is the question of the sovereignty of a nation. We violated that already and cannot undo that damage. The second most important ethical question is the dignity of individual human persons in Iraq... especially those without power. Given that second serious ethical question, I think we cannot abandon them to chaos and a potential bloodbath.

I am listening for an answer as to how our military can help Iraq develop the strength of their security. But I am also listening to how our diplomatic team can help Iraq develop the potential for internal peace and order.

I do not, at this point, believe the current Presidential Administration is any more dedicated to the internal peace effort of Iraq than I was at their initial call for war.

Both are required, though. Perhaps due efforts towards the peace effort would have prevented the need for increased troops. But, now? I don't know. Greater dialogue needs to happen on the part of both major parties -- Democrat and Republican -- on how to help the Iraqis establish internal peace. But I am not personally convinced -- though I have been, from the beginning, opposed to this war -- that we are able to achieve withdraw until we aggressive achieve an effective peace effort.