One of the foremost opponents of the war in Iraq, retired Army colonel and diplomat Ann Wright, painted a bleak picture of the Bush administration during a visit to Thousand Oaks this week, accusing the president and his officials of violating international law and human rights.

Wright, who served in the Army and Army Reserve for 29 years, was one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

She spoke Tuesday night at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks at the invitation of Veterans for Peace, the ACLU, Global Exchange and CLU's Center for Equality and Justice. Wright told the audience of about 40 people that she "couldn't support the invasion of an oil-rich, Arab, Muslim country that had done nothing to harm this country."

Wright addresses the issue of conscience and what triggers an act of principle after years of serving in government and the military in her new book, "Dissent: Voices of Conscience," which she co-authored with Susan Dixon. In it, she recounts the stories of men and women who risked careers, reputations and even freedom out of loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law, she said.

"Most people don't know about this dissent, and I thought it would be good to put it together in one volume at this time when many people feel our government isn't listening to us and hasn't for 7 1/2 years," she said.

She gave several examples of those who stood up to the administration and its policies involving the war and the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Wright pulled no punches, calling the war "an act of aggression" and "a war crime" and suggesting the evidence for impeachment is "overwhelming."

In response, however, to an audience question about the feasibility of a timed withdrawal from Iraq, Wright said a quick troop pullout isn't realistic. The removal of military equipment will take years and can begin only when all sides agree to a cease-fire, she said.

She also attacked Congress for its failure, under the leadership of Democrat Nancy Pelosi, to uphold the Constitution, saying voters in the 2006 election had been "double-crossed."

"These are dangerous times," she said. "For political expediency, our Constitution is no longer available to us, and they're not going to end a war that 70 percent of the people no longer agree with."

Wright said she believes the Bush administration is planning an incident or some other justification for a military attack on Iran before the end of the year.

Wright, a native of Arkansas, was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., from 1982-84, where her duties included drawing up contingency plans for invading several countries, including Iraq, she has said. In 1987, she went to work for the State Department, serving as deputy chief of mission at U.S. embassies in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia.