Today, the MSM reported the death
of the 2,000th US soldier in Iraq.
Given that the 1,000th such death occurred on September 7, 2004, nearly 18
months into war, it is clear that the pace at which these deaths are being
inflicted is increasing.
Over at Today in Iraq, new poster Whisker has a somber
roll-call
of the names of all the US dead. Check it out.
After reading that, I spent a few minutes at
this site
, and clicked on a couple of the tributes there.
I mourn all the victims of this war… Iraqi, US, other nationals… Each
one who died– woman, car-bomb victim, aid worker, child, insurgent, journalist,
man, diplomat, professional soldier– was an individual with his or her own
dreams, hopes, and fears; and with family members who loved them, and who have been left behind to
mourn. I think that’s the first thing to remember. A long
time after remembering that, we can get into issues of politics, responsibility,
and culpability. The vast majority of those who died were noncombatants
God comfort the bereaved, the great numbers of maimed and wounded, and all the prisoners in this war.
Bring the troops home.
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This morning our national radio reported that about 300 antiwar events were announced in the US to-day, in order to mark the death of the 2000th US soldier in Iraq.
I don’t know how well these actions will be reported in the US media, but they do already have a large echo outside of the US.
If only the Dems were coming out with a better position on the war and the need of a withdrawal.
With things going badly in Iraq, scandals breaking out all over, an independent federal prosecutor closing in for the kill, and the party faithful abandoning ship, one might be tempted to think the “Bush Era” is at an end. However, the Bush/Cheney/Rove cabal is more dangerous than ever at this point. They are like a wounded hyena trapped in a corner. They have very little left to lose, in terms of credibility or public support. They cannot even conceive of the possibility of compromise with their ideological opponents. They would rather die than admit defeat (Cheney is almost dead anyway). They cannot stop the steady encroachment of reality on their crumbling fantasy world, but they are far from powerless. They control the greatest propaganda machine ever assembled, a navy and airforce that have been itching to get into the Middle East action in a big way, and a massive stockpile of nuclear weapons (use ’em or lose ’em). Bush and Rove have always believed in the bold stroke – the unbelievably audacious move that no one else would have dared contemplate. And that was in good times. I would not expect this crew to go out with a whimper. “Wag the dog” doesn’t begin to suggest what these guys are capable of. Don’t even talk to me about the Democrats. The only hope we have at this point is that the so-called “realist” Republicans will see how dire the situation has become, and take action before it’s too late. I don’t mean impeachment – that’s not the way they handle disputes within the family. If we start to see a slew of resignations and appointments of serious, experienced people to replace them, then we can breath a sigh of relief. If not . . .