4,000

That's the American death toll in Iraq, five years and five days into a war that President Bush has no idea how to end, and presumably no intention to do so even if he did.

This war means 4,000 American families and untold thousands of Iraqi families will go to bed tonight -- and every night -- without someone who meant the world to them. It means thousands of people will go to bed tonight -- and every night -- knowing they never get to spend another day with their best friend. And it means thousands of children will go to bed tonight -- and every night -- without feeling the loving embrace of a mother or father.

This war destroys lives every day. How much longer must it last?