As we observe the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, it is clear that in addition to the human and financial costs, this unnecessary war has made our nation and the world less safe in ways we are only beginning to measure.

First of all, I want to express my profound respect for the brave men and women on the ground in Iraq. As the daughter of a veteran, I appreciate their sacrifice and lament the horrible situation into which they have been cast.

The human toll of the war has been high for Americans and Iraqis alike. More than 1,500 U.S. soldiers have been killed and more than 11,000 have been wounded. There is no accurate count, but it is estimated that as many as 100,000 Iraqi civilians have lost their lives.

The financial costs of this war continue to fall on the shoulders of those who can least afford them. The Bush administration asked for an additional $80 billion for the war in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan. That brings the total to well above $300 billion, and while the president has asked Congress to extend his tax breaks for the wealthy, he is insisting on cuts in vital programs for education, housing and health care.

There has been virtually no accountability on the war spending. Despite Congress requiring it, the administration has flatly refused to account for how our tax dollars have been spent in Iraq, or what the future costs will be. Given the failure to provide our troops with adequate equipment and the documented cases of waste and fraud perpetrated by contractors like Halliburton, it is the height of hypocrisy for members of Congress to say they support our troops and to fail to insist on accountability on why these resources have not been spent to protect our young men and women.

Beyond the human and financial toll of this war is the enormous cost to the security of our nation and the world. The administration allowed nuclear materials to be looted from Al-Tuwaitha nuclear facility, materials that could be used in a ``dirty bomb.'' They allowed hundreds of tons of high explosives to be stolen from the Al-Qaqaa compound, explosives that are being used against our troops. Now we learn that they allowed looters to just walk away with equipment that can be used to make parts of missiles or weapons of mass destruction.

Instead of stopping terrorism, this administration's policies have encouraged it to expand. It is important to remember that there was no connection between Iraq and Al-Qaida before this war. Now, according to the National Intelligence Council, the war has turned Iraq into a training ground for Islamist terrorists.

It is important to remember that the stated goal of this war was to make us safer. It was waged pre-emptively to prevent a threat from forming. Two years after the invasion, the threat of terrorism and the possibility of an attack using nuclear materials are greater than before the war. We are significantly less safe as a result of this administration's actions.

The war in Iraq is just one part of the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive war, a policy whose long-term costs are truly frightening. This doctrine has violated international law, alienated our longtime allies and isolated our country. It has undermined the United States' ability to speak with authority or morality on human rights issues, and it has established a destabilizing and dangerous precedent that one nation can attack another just by claiming it poses a future threat.

While we all applaud the Iraqis in their recent elections, the sad fact is that the security situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, in large part as a result of the occupation. The Bush administration has failed to recognize that our troops are in an impossible situation where their presence is actually feeding the insurgency they are being asked to put down.

This administration has much to account for. There have been too many blank checks, and not nearly enough accountability. The president should take the targets off our troops' backs and offer Congress and the American people a concrete plan on how they will begin to clean up the mess that's been made and bring our troops home quickly and safely. Then we can begin the long work of repairing the lasting damage this war has caused to the security of our nation and the world.

Rep Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, is the senior Democratic woman on the House International Relations Committee.

© 2005 Mercury News

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