House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a pointed anti-war, pro-troop message to the California Democratic Party Convention yesterday, accusing the Bush administration of ethical misconduct in its justification for and conduct of the Iraq war.

Pelosi, drawing a parallel to corruption scandals that have driven former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham of Rancho Santa Fe and at least three other Republican congressmen from office in recent years, said the war stands as "the biggest ethical issue facing the United States."

"You be the judge," Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, told the delegates. "Is it ethical to send our troops into war on a false pretense and without a strategy for success?

"Is it ethical to send our troops into war without the equipment and training they need to prevail, while giving no-bid, sometimes no-performance contracts to Halliburton and other Iraq contractors?"

"Our troops have done everything they have been asked to do. . . . But instead of being honored as the heroes they are when they come home, veterans are being forced to cope with a system that is not equipped to care for them," Pelosi said, alluding to widespread criticism of conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Pelosi appeared before delegates at the San Diego Convention Center as the first woman elected speaker of the House of Representatives. California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres hailed her as "the most powerful woman in the world."

Despite the blunt criticism of the Bush administration, Pelosi stopped far short of the impeachment talk that many delegates say deserves serious consideration.

Pelosi said the new Democratic majority in Congress is committed to achieving energy independence, stopping global warming and strengthening democracy "with a government that is honest, open and accountable."

She assured delegates that the Democratic Congress also will defend the Constitution and civil liberties sacrificed in the fight against terrorism.

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