Our only choice is stick it out for the long haul. Its going to cost billions and there will be continued loss of American lives. But once Bush made the decision to go to war, the commitment was locked in. To abandon Iraq now would have even graver consequences than the present funk.

Of course, this is precisely what Mr. Bush didn't tell the American people would be the consequences of going to war. You can't overrun a country of over 22 million people - many of them religious zealots - and expect things to work out nice and neat. All it takes is one percent of the Iraqi population to chose to engage in violent and suicidal resistance in order to create havoc.

I personally supported going to war to topple Saddam. - BUT only with clear and unequivocal U.N. support. I personally believe that more skillful diplomacy than the Bush administration was able to muster might have eventually secure that support. But Mr. Bush's rush to war on the basis of unproven allegations and obviously exaggerated claims now means we alone own Iraq's reconstruction and its future. We're stuck with it.

Moving forward effectively requires several ingredients that the Bush administration has thus far failed to provide: 1) A true internationalization of the reconstruction efforts; 2) An expeditious and complete return of the necessities of life such as power, food, water and medical services; and, 3) A rapid and thorough establishment of law and order. To do this right, we probably need to double our reconstruction spending from $4 to $8 billion dollars a month. And we must also reestablish effective relations with our now alienated allies and the U.N. if we ever expect to have this burden truly shared among the international community.

Mr. Bremer, the U.S.'s administrator in Iraq is a capable and competent individual. He may be the only member of the Bush administration really capable of understanding what's needed. Certainly the President and his VIce-President are not.