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The thing that really gets to me is that countries are in the news only when things get out of hand. That's when it's newsworthy. When the war ends, it's not newsworthy anymore; no one wants to think about it. Actually, the aftermath is the most important part. It's when people have to rebuild.

War today is such a more visible thing. We see it on television, on CNN. In 1914, war was a concept.

People have a very political way of looking at war, and that's understandable.

In any event, it's not exactly a secret to regular readers what my views on the war are.

This war is being played in the realm of public opinion and has dire consequences for our soldiers in Iraq, the future of our country, and freedom around the world.

To be sure, those who are actually engaged in combat - those who actually see the maimed bodies and mourning mothers - struggle more than the rest of us to make sense of the reality of war.

Going to war is a rare experience in American culture, so it's easy for simple notions to gain a lot of weight. The reality is always more complex.

War is complicated and intense, and it takes time and thoughts to understand what it was.

We're living through a time where we are fighting wars fostered by politics, admittedly not on the same scale as the First World War, but with equally tragic realities for our soldiers and their families.

How do you keep war accountable to the American people when war becomes invisible and virtual?