Iraq Vets On Iraq War Anniversary

Four years, tens of thousands of my fellow troops dead and wounded, a decimated military, increasing violence, a deteriorating political situation, and Osama bin Laden smiling and eating lamb chops somewhere in Pakistan - that is the legacy of this misguided war in Iraq.

Here's my story. Almost four years ago, I went to Iraq believing that this was a war of necessity. I, and thousands and thousands of my fellow troops, soon discovered that there were no WMD, that Iraq was not an imminent threat, and not all Iraqis welcomed us with open arms. Now, home from Iraq, I am able to see the larger picture - that the troubles in Iraq aren't contained within its borders. It has affected our military readiness. It has burned our troops down to the wick. The war in Iraq pulled people hunting Osama bin Laden to referee a civil war thousands of miles away. Everyone in our military has learned a lot of hard lessons during the course of this war.

The only people who have not learned a single lesson are President Bush and many in Congress. After four years of increasing violence, more American deaths, a military stretched to the breaking point, and no capture of bin Laden, they propose to do just more of the same. It's no longer incompetence from the President - it's misfeasance in office. Members of Congress are flat out wrong to rubber stamp that.