The ad, published in the New York Times and signed by 33 experts from universities and colleges like Harvard, Columbia and MIT, avoided taking a political side, said Jack Levy, a specialist on the causes of war at Rutgers University.

"We shared a certain type of world view, a so-called realist view, in which we think of the world and foreign policy in terms of national security, with less emphasis on ideology and things like that," Levy said. "It was for U.S., self-interest, national security concerns that we were opposed to the war. It was not opposition based primarily on moral concerns.

"That charge (of liberalism) certainly didn't apply to our objections. No one could accuse anyone in that group of not having a fairly hard-headed view of the national interest."

The ad urged the United States to concentrate on al-Qaida and stated, in part, "Even if we win easily, we have no plausible exit strategy. Iraq is a deeply divided society that the United States would have to occupy and police for many years to create a viable state."

Levy and Silverstein both point out that many academics took the opposite tack, further clouding decision-making four years ago.

Among those not swayed by Hyer and his peers were the members of Utah's congressional delegation, who got to see the opinion piece weeks before it ran in the newspaper.

Responding in letters to the professors, Sen. Bob Bennett and Reps. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, and Jim Matheson, D-Utah, defended the votes they cast for war.

Cannon wrote that wrestling with his vote led to some of "the most agonizing moments of my tenure," and that "I suppose I will wonder about that discussion, no matter what the outcome, to my dying day."

He contended the debate in Washington included all of the points made by the BYU professors, with answers from those with contrary views, and he asked the professors "to recognize (the decision) was not taken carelessly, unfeelingly, or unthinkingly."

The professors, who said their views did not represent BYU or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns it, also correctly predicted the war would have unintended consequences.

One is how it changed politics in Arab countries, said co-author Wade Jacoby, an expert on international security and Europe.

"For years, Islamic radicals have lived on the frontiers and fringes of political worlds, the backwaters," Jacoby said. "Now, they're in the heart of the Arab world. It's not good for the United States, it's not good for our Arab friends and it's not good for ordinary citizens of these countries."

Equally troubling is the reaction of America's allies in Europe and elsewhere.