One of the distinct memories of childhood that I have carried over the years were my father’s lessons in human behavior. In teaching me the difference between right and wrong, he particularly stressed the following: Never tell a lie; never steal, and never willfully harm others. And as much is humanly possible, I have tried to follow his advice.

Today we are witnessing the leader of the most powerful country in the world violate such basics in human ethics. He has lied to his people: Lie after lie about Iraq; about the existence of weapons of mass destruction; about the impending threat from the Iraqis on American soil; lies about his own military service history — the list goes on and on.

He has stolen from the Iraqis. Yes, stolen their lands and their sovereignty. Rather than afford them the dignity of taking over their affairs, his imperialist policies have subjugated a people and replaced one dictator with another. His vice president’s dubious ties to specific companies that were quickly afforded fat contracts in the rebuilding process are well documented.

And taking it a step further, his current stance has directly resulted in the death of an untold number of civilians, not to add the growing number of dying troops. The killings continue as I write this, unjustified and immoral, in the pursuit of his singular and most certainly shameful policy.

Bombs are being dropped on children, on old men and women in the desert. In Fallujah hospitals have been bombed.

There is no hope of evacuation as there is no longer a safe haven anywhere. Overnight, children are becoming orphans, as cluster bombs and mortar fire rains all around. These are sadly the realities of Mr. Bush’s adventurism. The human toll that Saddam had incurred is beginning to pale in comparison.

And in explaining the resistance across the country, which he brushes off as a mini civil war, Mr. Bush continues in his lies to the American public. What we are witnessing in Iraq is a colonial occupation. And when an occupation is ugly, the resistance will certainly not be peaceful. The troops are there for “humanitarian” purposes, the public is told. Why indeed would one who has claimed no interest in Iraqi land be possessed to consider sending 10,000 more troops in the next few weeks, some who will never be returning home to their families?

Amid calls of concerns from world leaders that the military action in Iraq has increased rather than decreased the threat of terrorism, many now view Mr. Bush himself as the single biggest threat to world peace. Iraq may have been an adventure, one scripted with visions of hordes of wretched and thankful Iraqis, singing and showering garlands of flowers and praise, but it has turned into a killing field.

And in invoking “divine guidance” as a principal driving force, Mr. Bush has left behind nothing but contempt and dead bodies as his legacy.