More than five years ago, I was among the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who marched in the bitter cold to send a message to President Bush: Not in our name. Like most African Americans, I opposed the Iraq war from the start.

Nearly 4,000 American deaths and half a trillion dollars later, President Bush says the Iraq war "is a fight we must win."Polls show a surge in opposition to the endless war. Fifty-nine percent of Americans think the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a mistake. Fifty-four percent believe history will judge the occupation a failure.

At a recent bloggers summit, Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress said Americans have been given a false choice: stay the course or cut and run. Instead, there should be a timeline to end the occupation while minimizing the risk of withdrawal.

Katulis said the financial cost of the war, the "Iraq recession," is Americans' top concern. But no one knows how much is being spent on the war beyond the $10 billion to $12 billion per month.

Americans were told the war would lower the price of oil. Five years later, oil is $110 per barrel. The New York Times reports there is massive corruption; as much as one-third of revenues from Iraqi oil is going to insurgents.

In addition to lost revenues, Katulis said there are lost "opportunity costs" in the fight against global extremists networks. Indeed, national intelligence estimates question whether we are safer.

For more information, visit the Center for American Progress. To send a message to Congress that it's been five years too many, click here.