Nor should the U.S. military be forced to remain in Iraq essentially as an army for one side of a civil war.

The crude oil market, unlike every other commodity in America, is virtually unregulated.

In crude oil trading, we have seen a 46 percent increase over 1 year in the margins there.

The U.S. cannot force Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds to make peace or to act for the common good. They have been in conflict for 1,400 years.

There is no free market in oil.

Saddam Hussein was a brutal tyrant. I am glad he is now on trial for crimes against humanity. But, opposition to a dictator is not the measure I use when deciding whether to send our men and women in uniform off to war and possible death.

In addition to a timeline, I have proposed that U.S. troops be removed from front line combat positions in Iraqi cities and towns, turning over daily security patrols, interactions with citizens, and any offensive security actions to the Iraqis themselves.