Tony Snow covered this one for me while I was away

[BBond]

Looks like I missed a milestone while I was away but Tony Snow covered it for me. I notice that no one here bothered to mention it. :roll:

I waited a while before posting this but no one here seemed to notice the 2500th U.S. casualty. I guess if you just keep your eyes closed tight enough, cover your ears hard enough, and sing "LALALALALA" loud enough you can ignore anything. If the youth of America was being drafted for duty in Iraq, like they were for Vietnam, instead of sending the same poor slobs back to Iraq for three and four tours I GUARANTY that you wouldn't be ignoring these milestones then.

I'm accused by some here of "celebrating" U.S. deaths in Iraq whenever I point out these milestones -- these TOTALLY UNNECESSARY MILESTONES -- so I guess Tony is now the one who is "celebrating" U.S. deaths in Iraq by highlighting the latest milestone.

Whatever. bush's unprovoked attack is still raging, Americans are still dying, and you people are still ignoring it.

What a disgrace.

US military deaths in Iraq reach 2,500

Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:31pm ET

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq has reached 2,500, the Pentagon said on Thursday, more than three years into a conflict that finds U.S. and allied forces locked in a struggle with a resilient insurgency.

The milestone came two days after President George W. Bush, hoping to bolster faltering U.S. public support for the war, made a surprise trip to Iraq. In Congress, some Democrats reiterated calls for a timetable to pull out the 127,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Any president who goes through a time of war feels very deeply the responsibility for sending men and women into harm's way, he feels very deeply the pain that the families feel, and this president is no different," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

"One of the things the president has said is that these people will not die in vain."

Of the 2,500 deaths, the Pentagon said, 1,972 have come in combat and 528 in noncombat circumstances such as vehicle accidents or suicides. In addition, the Pentagon said 18,490 troops have been wounded in the war, which began in March 2003 with a U.S.-led invasion to topple President Saddam Hussein.

On an average day in the war, about two U.S. troops are killed. The average monthly death toll is 64.

Rep. Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat, noted the "sad news that we have reached a sad milestone," and the House of Representatives observed a moment of silence.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed with some estimates of the toll around 40,000. Sectarian violence surged after February's bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra, with hundreds of people killed every month in Baghdad alone.

In addition to U.S. deaths, 113 British troops have been killed, along with an equal number of other foreign troops.

Bush's central justification for the war was to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found.

ADAPTIVE, RESILIENT INSURGENCY

Defense analysts noted that U.S. deaths in Iraq, while significant, are far fewer than in the other protracted U.S. wars since World War Two -- the Vietnam War where 58,000 U.S. troops died, or the Korean War where 54,000 died.

Roadside bombs, known by the military as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are the biggest cause of U.S. casualties. Ham said despite good progress in detecting roadside bombs and insurgents responsible for making and planting them, the number of these attacks has increased over the past several months.

The steadily mounting U.S. toll reflects an insurgency that has not buckled despite facing a military superpower.

"They've been very adaptive and resilient," said Ted Carpenter of the Cato Institute think tank. "That's one of the chief problems that an intervening force faces in any counterinsurgency war. You're fighting on the adversary's home turf and essentially all the enemy has to do is to out-wait the intervening power."

Military medical experts say the U.S. toll would be even higher if not for advances in medical care and body armor that often saves the lives of badly wounded troops who would have died in previous wars.

They point to: advances in body armor, with torso armor protecting the chest and abdomen, heart and lungs and helmets protecting the brain; improved in-country surgical capabilities allowing patients to be stabilized and quickly flown out of Iraq; and better prepared battlefield medics.

 

[alchemize]

Did Tony Snow bring it up, or did a reporter ask about it?

And did you just post it so you could taunt, insult and troll?

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: alchemize
Did Tony Snow bring it up, or did a reporter ask about it?

And did you just post it so you could taunt, insult and troll?

I'm not taunting, insulting, or trolling. I post these milestones to remind everyone who sits safely at home supporting this abomination of a "war" without a draft to worry about that every day in Iraq there are Americans dying and being maimed for life for a lie while people like bush and cheney profit from it.

You'd do better to open your eyes to those facts rather than hum the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

 

[Polish3d]

Guess you guys are starting to count the 500s now too eh? The 1000's mark not enough for you?

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: Frackal
Guess you guys are starting to count the 500s now too eh? The 1000's mark not enough for you?

Tony Snow seems to think 2,500 is enough.

 

[BBond]

And hey, Frackal, if you were waiting for your draft number to come up YOU'D think it was enough too.

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: alchemize
Did Tony Snow bring it up, or did a reporter ask about it?

And did you just post it so you could taunt, insult and troll?

I'm not taunting, insulting, or trolling. I post these milestones to remind everyone who sits safely at home supporting this abomination of a "war" without a draft to worry about that every day in Iraq there are Americans dying and being maimed for life for a lie while people like bush and cheney profit from it.

You'd do better to open your eyes to those facts rather than hum the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

notice that no one here bothered to mention it....I guess if you just keep your eyes closed tight enough, cover your ears hard enough, and sing "LALALALALA" loud enough you can ignore anything....and you people are still ignoring it....What a disgrace. "

Yah, that's a great opening for discussion if I've ever seen one :roll:

Anyhow, you didn't answer the pertinent question. Did Snow bring it up, or was he asked?

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: alchemize

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: alchemize
Did Tony Snow bring it up, or did a reporter ask about it?

And did you just post it so you could taunt, insult and troll?

I'm not taunting, insulting, or trolling. I post these milestones to remind everyone who sits safely at home supporting this abomination of a "war" without a draft to worry about that every day in Iraq there are Americans dying and being maimed for life for a lie while people like bush and cheney profit from it.

You'd do better to open your eyes to those facts rather than hum the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

notice that no one here bothered to mention it....I guess if you just keep your eyes closed tight enough, cover your ears hard enough, and sing "LALALALALA" loud enough you can ignore anything....and you people are still ignoring it....What a disgrace. "

Yah, that's a great opening for discussion if I've ever seen one :roll:

Anyhow, you didn't answer the pertinent question. Did Snow bring it up, or was he asked?

He brought it up when he took over as mouthpiece for the idiotswho started this whole disaster. He brought it up when that same idiot decided to start another in a long and ever growing line of useless public relation campaigns to try to sell this disaster to an ever more disagreable America. But you just keep on humming -- "Glory, glory, hallelujah!"

:roll:

The pertinent question is, when the hell are you going to WTFU?

 

[alchemize]

So you did just come to troll, taunt, and not address the so-called "topic" you brought up. Fair enough.

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: alchemize
So you did just come to troll, taunt, and not address the so-called "topic" you brought up. Fair enough.

How can anyone with your deeply impaired judgement make any determination on what is or is not pertinent to any topic?

Address the topic yourself. Over 2,500 American soldiers dead, over 18,000 wounded, God only knows how many innocent Iraqis dead, over $300 BILLION spent AND COUNTING, America's reputation in tatters, and you actually believe the pertinent question is whether or not a member of the news media asked the current administration mouthpiece about Iraq?

:roll:

Originally posted by: alchemize
"Glory, glory, hallelujah!"

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: BBond
And hey, Frackal, if you were waiting for your draft number to come up YOU'D think it was enough too.

It's already enough but that doesn't mean pulling out immediately is a good idea or one that will save American and Iraqi lives in the long run.

If you were an Iraqi threatened by insurgent violence I bet you'd want the US and Iraqi govt to succeed and establish more stability.

Btw when are you leaving for Darfur to stop the genocide there?

This crap goes both ways where you start calling people out like you did.

When are you going to the depths of hell in Africa to provide aid to AIDs victims? Have you started using corn oil to fuel your car? Why the hell not? You're cutting a check for 50-80% of your earnings to help the poor I assume right? And delivering it to the ghettos in person I'm sure

 

[Zebo]

2500th U.S. casualty.

Sadlly there's been over 24,000 casualties..

Btw when are you leaving for Darfur to stop the genocide there?

What for? Muzzies killing each other is the best thing that can happen for our security.

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: Frackal

Originally posted by: BBond
And hey, Frackal, if you were waiting for your draft number to come up YOU'D think it was enough too.

It's already enough but that doesn't mean pulling out immediately is a good idea or one that will save American and Iraqi lives in the long run.

If you were an Iraqi threatened by insurgent violence I bet you'd want the US and Iraqi govt to succeed and establish more stability.

Btw when are you leaving for Darfur to stop the genocide there?

This crap goes both ways where you start calling people out like you did.

When are you going to the depths of hell in Africa to provide aid to AIDs victims? Have you started using corn oil to fuel your car? Why the hell not? You're cutting a check for 50-80% of your earnings to help the poor I assume right? And delivering it to the ghettos in person I'm sure

WTF are you talking about?

Where did I say we should pull out of Iraq?

What does Africa have to do with this thread?

Typical bush lover. When you can't defend the idiot's mistakes -- obfuscate.

When will YOU demand accountability from bush and cheney for their lies?

When will you realize that the occupation of Iraq will NEVER work?

Listen, when you make a mistake the only way to correct it is to go back to the point where you made the mistake and correct it. Get it?

 

[Polish3d]

Bush lover? Give me a break. I think my post was pretty clear anyway, and if you don't think that we should pull out of Iraq immediately, why are you berating me about the draft thing?

 

[conjur]

Not just a number

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: Frackal
Bush lover? Give me a break. I think my post was pretty clear anyway, and if you don't think that we should pull out of Iraq immediately, why are you berating me about the draft thing?

Because if your dry ass and the rest of your generation were forced to enter bush's charnel house your support for this disaster would disappear in about ten seconds. But it's easy to be a bush lover when you, just like your fearless leader, don't have to risk anything in your support. Let the other poor SOB's go over there for three or four tours while you support the war profiteers whose lies caused all of this unnecessary carnage in the first place, right?

 

[Polish3d]

What exactly do you think my view of Iraq is?

And btw, with your standard, if you support:


-Stopping the genocide in Sudan, you better join up and go in with UN peacekeepers

-Assistance to the AIDs-ridden hellholes in Africa, you had better be there in the mix helping out


-Higher taxes to help the indigent, you had better be cutting checks if you're remotely above the lower wage earner level


Begin here, and then when YOU'VE met your own standards, you'll start to acquire the moral authority to lecture me or others... although I doubt you would anyway if you know my view on Iraq


Which is simply this; if we were to pull out immediately, your call for me to be in the position of soldiers in harm's way could just as easily be turned back around on you, to go sit in the middle of the ensusing genocide that would likely occur between Iraqis.

You want people to be directly involved in the outcomes of their views?


Well, if you believe we should pull out now, then go sit in Baghdad and be part of what happens just like you want me to join the military because I dont think pulling out now is wise.

And if you're not for pulling out immediately, then we're on the same page and you should swiftly shut the hell up with your stupid paper-thin arguments

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Frackal
Guess you guys are starting to count the 500s now too eh? The 1000's mark not enough for you?

If you truly believed in your phoney war you would count every casualty.

But since you hate America what's a number.

 

[Polish3d]

Oh I count every casualty, but only now the types to hype up "milestones" of deaths have started hyping up the 500 marks... I dont remember them talking about 500 or 1500

 

[conjur]

U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Hits 500
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/17/sprj.nirq.main/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3405525.stm

U.S. Death Toll In Iraq Hits 1,500
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/iraq/main678014.shtml
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/03/iraq.main/



Guess someone's memory is rather poor.

 

[Polish3d]

Yeah but I dont remember 1500 being played up the way 2500 casualties has been lately... the extreme cynic in me thinks this might be a way to find something bad and easily understandable to hype up during a time of moderately good news such as the Zarqawi capture and ministry postings.

 

[alchemize]

Originally posted by: alchemize
Did Tony Snow bring it up, or did a reporter ask about it?

And did you just post it so you could taunt, insult and troll?

Hey B0BDN, you troll, here's your answer you couldn't be bothered to research. Question #1 (and #2) asked that day by the ghoulish presss:

Link

Q Tony, American deaths in Iraq have reached 2,500. Is there any response or reaction from the President on that?

MR. SNOW: It's a number, and every time there's one of these 500 benchmarks people want something. The President would like the war to be over now. Everybody would like the war to be over now. And the one thing that we saw in Iraq this week is further testimony to the quality of the men and the women who are doing that, and the dedication and determination to try to ensure that the people of Iraq really do live in a free, effective democracy of their own creation and design.

Any President who goes through a time of war feels very deeply the responsibility for sending men and women into harm's way, and feels very deeply the pain that the families feel. And this President is no different. You've seen it many times. You saw it, you saw it when he was in that ballroom, Terry, and you had this crowd of servicemen and women who were cheering loudly for the President, and he got choked up. So it's always a sad benchmark, and one of the things the President has said is that these people will not die in vain.

And part of what happened this very week when the President went to Baghdad, and he sat down with the Prime Minister and he sat down with the cabinet, and he sat down with the President and Vice President, he sat down with the national security team, and he sat down with the leaders of all the major political parties, what he saw now is that after all of this, what you have in Iraq is a freestanding government that has been elected by the Iraqi people. It has a Prime Minister who is going to be there for four years, who is determined to act as a Prime Minister, who is determined to lead, who is setting priorities, and he's somebody we can work with. You have a Minister of Defense who has significant experience and is already working with his colleagues, not only here at the Pentagon, but also General Casey and others in the field. The President understands that those deaths cannot be in vain, and you've got a government now that can help ensure that that is not the case.

Q Was he told about the benchmark, the President?

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I'm sure he will hear about it.

David.

 

[Jeff7]

The Iraqi insurgency is fighting a fight similar to what we fought hundreds of years ago against the British. A foreign occupying force was here, and we didn't fight by their rules. We fought "dirty" for the time. None of this "line up and shoot" stuff. We'd ambush quickly from anywhere in small, mobile groups.
Similarly, the insurgents do not fight by our rules, or any rules, it seems. This kind of enemy isn't easy to defeat. That was true here, 230 years ago, and I think it's going to hold true again in Iraq.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Frackal
Yeah but I dont remember 1500 being played up the way 2500 casualties has been lately... the extreme cynic in me thinks this might be a way to find something bad and easily understandable to hype up during a time of moderately good news such as the Zarqawi capture and ministry postings.

Pffft...that "good news" has already been forgotten.

New bin Laden video.
~100 Iraqis kidnapped from their workplace.
4 Americans killed in Afghanistan (where fighting is the fiercest it's been since last 2001)

And, btw, at what point does this administration realize they've cost us double? $350 billion spent and 2500 lives is nearing the toll of Sept. 11 itself.

 

[Polish3d]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Frackal
Yeah but I dont remember 1500 being played up the way 2500 casualties has been lately... the extreme cynic in me thinks this might be a way to find something bad and easily understandable to hype up during a time of moderately good news such as the Zarqawi capture and ministry postings.

Pffft...that "good news" has already been forgotten.

New bin Laden video.
~100 Iraqis kidnapped from their workplace.
4 Americans killed in Afghanistan (where fighting is the fiercest it's been since last 2001)

And, btw, at what point does this administration realize they've cost us double? $350 billion spent and 2500 lives is nearing the toll of Sept. 11 itself.

You dont need to convince me of that. Unless a stable Iraq pays significant benefits in the future, such as helping to moderate the area and providing a good point for force projection (I dont doubt thats part of the plan) it will not have been worth it at all in my view.