Normally I try to come up with something amusing to share with my readers.... And please know that I value both of you very much. However, it's time for me to depart from the norm and briefly get serious about the deteriorating situation in Iraq.

A year ago I was a reluctant supporter of Bush and his plans for regime change in that troubled country. After all, this was the President who had led us to a brilliant military victory in Afghanistan. So when he said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and was working with known terrorist groups, I believed him. Whatever reservations I may have had about another war stemmed from the fact that while we may have achieved victory in Afghanistan--for the moment at least--we still had not gotten Osama bin Laden. If we had captured him, or confirmed his death, then I would have had no qualms about going after Hussein.

But Bush had already committed the nation to a course of action in Iraq. By the end of last year there was simply no going back. To do so would have made the United States look weak in the eyes of our enemies. That perception, in turn, would have led to more attacks against us. That's why the Administration had my support. And that is also why I felt the antiwar protestors were wrong: It was obvious we were going in, and all their screaming and yelling would accomplish nothing.

Well, actually, I think they did accomplish ONE thing: They--as well as France and Germany--gave Hussein false hope that Bush would back off at some point. Had the international community been more unified behind us, I still believe Saddam would have realized the futility of his position, left Iraq, and gone into exile.

So when Baghdad fell on April 9, and I saw the jubilation in the streets, I felt the United States and England had been vindicated. And with our brilliant military strategy triumphant, it was now time to institute our brilliant plan to rebuild iraq. Only.... Well.... Er.... We didn't have one.

As the days without electrity became weeks and months, resentment at our continued prescence grew. If we had at least been accomplishing something tangible that the citizens could see, it would have been different. But we didn't, and it soon became painfully obvious that someone had dropped the ball. Also, as the months have gone on, the ferocity and sophistication of the attacks against our people has been increasing.

So where do we stand now? Well, we're no longer losing an average of one soldier a day, but several. And that's not even counting the toll of wounded, who very often require extensive surgeries, artificial limbs, and lengthy physical rehabilitation. And we still have no WMD's to point at to justify our little foolhardy misadventure. Nor has any evidence surfaced that Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda prior to the war. Now, however, it has become painfully apparent that assorted groups are taking advantage of the postwar anarchy to go in and wreak havoc. Additionally, since we lost our focus on Afghanistan, that country is slowly slipping back into chaos.

But simply packing up and bringing our forces home is not an option either. We went into that country and eliminated its government. To leave them now would be irresponsibility of the highest order. On the other hand, they don't want us there, and the members of the Iraqi Governing Council are basically targets. Simply put, we are stuck.

That is why I simply cannot vote for Bush next year. This is unfortunate, since I don't think I've ever voted for a Democrat. But he has put our nation into a position from which it will difficult to recover. Not only are we stuck in Iraq, but all the international goodwill that was bestowed upon us in the wake of 9-11 has been pissed away.

I hate offering criticism without also offering possible solutions, but I simply don't see any.

All my feelings about Iraq came to a head this past Thursday. You see, I drive a cab, and I had picked up a semi-regular passenger. He's an older gentleman, and a nice guy. While we were stuck in traffic, he sat in the back reading my copy of USAToday. Then I hear him using his cellphone to call someone. It was his wife, and he proceeds to tell her about something he just saw in the paper. One of the soldiers killed in last weekend's collision of the Blackhawk helicopters was a Joey Whitener, the 19 year old son of some good friends of theirs. By the end of the conversation, the man was softly sobbing into the phone. I later came to find out that this man and his wife had known the son since he was a toddler. Upon leaving the military, Joey was planning to go to college, and eventually, medical school.

Sometimes war is a necessity, and sometimes war is a waste.

And I'm sorry, but this one's a waste.