War is looming. For the ones who have wanted peace, it seems we have failed. The administration has paid no more attention to us than they have to anyone else. So what next?

The first thought is to hope that continuing demonstrations will have some effect. But I fear the only hope of the success in demonstrations would come only after a failure of U.S. military might. This is not the way forward.

We should hope that this war is over, as is likely, in a matter of weeks. We should pray that our troops are as effective as we are told. We should hope that a bomb, a bullet, or our troops find Hussein quickly, and verifiably. That speed and effectiveness will make for less lives lost, civilian and soldier alike.

But we can, and should, do more than hope and pray. It is time to refocus our energies and bring them to bear on the future of Iraq. This is the crux of future war or peace: can our nation rebuild Iraq?

We cannot, and should not, let Iraq be rebuilt by the current administration and their friends alone. We must ensure that education, liberty and justice take footholds, not just oil companies. We must ensure that our nation is there to help over the long haul, not just to the next election. We must ensure that democracy does thrive, and that there is not just another Saddam, or Osama, waiting in the wings.