Ideas are powerful. A combination of the right ideas, the means to execute them and a clear mind can solve any problem. I have had many ideas on Iraq. I feel that in many ways, it has defined my own political evolution over the years.

I have written many papers and spent countless days arguing over the true nature of the Sunni-Shia divide, or to what extent al-Qaida in Iraq was supported by Iraqis. I might have at times felt that I was in the middle of this great clash of world views, opinions and ideas.

But realistically, the only thing I was in the middle of was America. I was far removed from the IED’s, third tours, car bombs and Sadr City. The war however, has changed all of us in our own way. It has changed how I think of the world, and it has taught me an enormous amount about the dynamic of our own country.

I was opposed to this war from the very beginning. When the war broke out in 2003, there were a few voices that were opposed to the war at my high school, many of them my good friends. So while we would talk about what a horrendous idea invading was, some of my fellow students actually organized a school walkout.

At the end of fourth period, about fifty students quietly shuffled out of their classrooms, filed down the hallways, out the doors and assembled at a little park across the street from the school. We marched through the town and assembled at the village hall. We gave a few short speeches and then waved at cars coming down the road. We had some honks of appreciation and some one-fingered salutes. It felt empowering. “How could Bush go to war now?” I thought. “He has fifty high school students in front of the La Grange Village Hall to deal with. Ha Ha! Check and mate!”

Well, we all know how things transpired. I still think going into Iraq the way we did was a bad idea, and I imagine that if we could do it over again knowing what we know now, our little march on the Village Hall would have had a few extra participants. And I would still be making sure that I stayed on the sidewalk so that the cops wouldn’t have an excuse to arrest us punk kids.

Today we find ourselves stuck knee-deep in Mesopotamian mud and we will have to do our best to dig ourselves out of it. How do we do it? How do we gauge success? Is it by the number of American deaths? Or by containing Iran’s influence? Who knows?

If we leave, Iraq might collapse and staying might postpone the inevitable chaos that keeps us there in the first place. For the first time during this entire war, I feel I am truly out of ideas.