4000

Not just 4000 "troops" died in Iraq.

4000 sons and daughters, fathers and mothers.

4000 hopes and dreams and plans.

We must not forget this. All of us -- those of use who were right on the foolishness of this war from the beginning and those who came late to the realization that we were misled (in every sense of the word) -- must unite to end this madness.

When we asked these kids -- and from my age, all were kids -- to risk their lives for our country, we made a tacit promise to spend those lives wisely, to never trade their blood for oil. It is a promise we broke.

We are so far in that getting out will be slow and difficult. We cannot just "declare victory and run for the boats." But our duty to those who gave their lives is not to spend more lives foolishly seeking a military "victory" that cannot exist. No one wins a hundred year war.

Our duty to the dead is to keep faith with the living.