Go take a look at the
statistics.
Of course, by the end of today it could be the
deadliest month in Iraq since Bush pranced across the
Lincoln's flight deck like a foppish dandy.
Just look at those statistics. Each of those is the life of a son, daughter, father, mother, sister, brother, friend...and each one of them was lost in occupying a country which we invaded for reasons which still have not been justified by our nation's leaders.
357 of our troops killed out of a total of approximately 130,000. That makes the fatality ratio 1 in 364. Even more disturbing is the wounded total. 2096 wounded, making the ratio 1 in 62. 1 in 62!!!
What's really disheartening is that we can't let these numbers sway us from maintaining a military presence in Iraq until order is restored, and awhile after that. No matter how lied-to we were by the Bush Administration, we're now in this mess and the consequences of an early retreat will be greater than anything Bush & Co. alleged Saddam would have done had we not attacked in the first place. That means more loved ones are going to die. More good men and women who are just doing their job, but whose lives were put on the lines by a group of men with a very narrow world view and an agenda of hegemony.
The Bush Administration made a huge mistake in not adequately planning for the post-war occupation of Iraq. We may have to live with that mistake, but that does not mean that we have to allow them to make further mistakes, nor forgive them for the mistakes they've made by putting them in office for a second term.
Many of us who are part of the dKOS community are already heavily involved in campaigning against Bush. You are fighting a war, yourselves, and I applaud you all.