This just pisses me off:
Iraq's government has recorded 87,215 of its citizens killed since 2005 in violence ranging from catastrophic bombings to execution-style slayings, according to government statistics obtained by The Associated Press that break open one of the most closely guarded secrets of the war.
And then this:
Combined with tallies based on hospital sources and media reports since the beginning of the war and an in-depth review of available evidence by The Associated Press, the figures show that more than 110,600 Iraqis have died in violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
A moral country would not have done this. I was one of the 25% who was adamantly opposed to this debacle from the start. While every citizen who was for it (and those who still are) should be ashamed of themselves, they were also misled by our government and our media.
Of course, there's more:
Combined with tallies based on hospital sources and media reports since the beginning of the war and an in-depth review of available evidence by The Associated Press, the figures show that more than 110,600 Iraqis have died in violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
And more:
The number is a minimum count of violent deaths. The official who provided the data to the AP, on condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity, estimated the actual number of deaths at 10 to 20 percent higher because of thousands who are still missing and civilians who were buried in the chaos of war without official records.
And we all know it's probably double the official number.
While the country debates whether the United States should investigate the torture of POWs, I'd like to see a larger investigation into how this war came about, who was responsible and how we stop from ever going down this road again. I'm old enough to remember Vietnam and I never thought Americans would support another useless, pointless, amoral war. But they did. And it makes me sick.
Until this country faces the fucking REALITY of its actions, we will never have the chance to make this country right again. If we keep dancing around the EVIL that was done in our name, we will remain a morally damaged country.
Understand the truth of what you did, Americans, and what you let your government do. Accept full responsibility. And work to never let this happen again.
UPDATEd 4-24-09
Krugman said it better than mebetter, but then, he's a professional ;)
This is exactly what I was trying to say:
Sorry, but what we really should do for the sake of the country is have investigations both of torture and of the march to war. These investigations should, where appropriate, be followed by prosecutions — not out of vindictiveness, but because this is a nation of laws.
We need to do this for the sake of our future. For this isn’t about looking backward, it’s about looking forward — because it’s about reclaiming America’s soul.
As I've said before, this your moral moment, President Obama. You didn't see your hero Lincoln shrink from it. You shouldn't either.