An immediate withdrawal of troops will only create a power vacuum. The troubled country will implode. There should be a clear timetable, which sets out a gradual withdrawal period.

The number of U.S. soldiers maimed or dead are horrific; but the horror of thousands of ordinary Iraqi citizens who have also lost their lives -- and continue to do so -- often appears to be forgotten. Many of those Iraqis who lost their lives might have welcomed U.S. troops into their country.

The current Iraqi government appears to have little legitimacy. And the credibility and authority of the U.S. depends on whether it can slow down the carnage. The withdrawal of U.S. troops must be accompanied by the creation of an interim government from representatives of all groups and leaders. They should plan fresh elections after an initial transition period.

Furthermore, part of the U.S.' responsibility, tied to withdrawing troops, is to train an expanded non-partisan Iraqi police force. Dividing Iraq into different independent zones according to ethnic groups -- Sunnis, Shia and Kurdish -- although it sounds very appealing to U.S. policymakers' would likely cause even more strife over how oil and other resources should be allocated. It might just spark another round of internecine conflict.

Sadly, there is no simple solution to the Iraqi conflict. Any solution will bring some loss of life. There is no guarantee that a UN peacekeeping force would not become moving targets for insurgents. The question now is which solution will cause the least loss of life, for both the U.S. and the Iraqis. Those who led the U.S. into this quagmire have really left behind a truly appalling legacy.