I recently agreed to allow Chellie Pingree to lend her name to an op-ed column I wrote in support of a very serious plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly ("Democrats sign on to plan to end the Iraq war") published in this paper on April 22. I am writing today to disassociate myself from Chellie Pingree's campaign and endorse Adam Cote's bid for Congress in Maine's 1st District.

At the heart of the plan I helped write is a rejection of the idea that we can or should consider cutting off funding or could safely bring our troops home "immediately." When Ms. Pingree endorsed the plan, I assumed she supported that premise. Yet, as I write this, her Web site says, "We must end the war now. Congress must stop funding the war and rescind its authorization if the administration refuses to make plans for immediate withdrawal."

When she returned from the press conference in Washington, where she endorsed our plan, she was asked about her many prior calls for cutting off funding "now." Her spokesman said endorsing our Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq "does not prevent Pingree and other candidates who support it from going beyond its recommendations." (March 19)

True. It does not. However, it does prevent this retired general who helped write the plan from lending his name or implied endorsement to Ms. Pingree's campaign. Adam Cote served in Iraq, as did I. He has had the courage to run for office consistently calling for a responsible approach that gets our forces out of Iraq as safely and soon as possible.

We need more people in Congress like Adam who have seen the Iraq War up close and can truly help to bring about its end in a responsible way.

On Iraq, you can't be responsible one minute and irresponsible the next. You have to be clear. You have to be a leader. That's why I retract my op-ed with Chellie Pingree and endorse Adam Cote for Congress.

Paul D. Eaton

Fox Island, Wash.