Today marks 1000 days of the Iraq War. Here are some numbers for you:
2,339: Allied troops killed
15,955: US troops wounded in action
Of the 18,000 US servicemen killed or wounded in Iraq, 94 percent have been killed or wounded since the fall of Baghdad. “Mission Accomplished.”
$204.4 billion: The cost to the U.S of the war so far.
30,000 : Estimated Iraqi civilian deaths
53,470: Iraqi insurgents killed
66: Journalists killed in Iraq. (Contrasted with the number of journalists killed during the entire Vietnam war: 63)
183,000: British and American troops are still in action in Iraq.
13,000: from other nations.
90: Daily attacks by insurgents in Nov ’05. In Jun ’03: 8
A BBC poll yesterday showed that half of the Iraqis questioned say that Iraq needs a strong leader–while only 28 percent cited democracy as a priority. Approximately 70 percent of Iraqis questioned were “strongly opposed” to presence of coalition troops.
0: Number of WMDs found (and, coincidentally, also the number of Iraqis who participated in the 9/11 attack)
(Data taken from the Independent)
My heart and soul have been so heavy from day-1, I just don’t know anymore.
See, there you go, Hating America again. Why do you Hate America, Gareth? America Loves You, why can’t you love it back? (It’s because you’re a commie, isn’t it? I can tell by the beard.)
In other news, bet Frutex Minimus Caesar wishes he could import that attitude Stateside. He’s getting pretty close, though. Pity nobody thinks he’s the strong leader type. Next fella in the big chair is gonna inherit a lot of really dangerous Executive powers, and if they play the I’m-Not-Bush card deftly enough, they’ll get a free pass for a lot of really bad stuff while everybody’s doing the Anybody-But-Bush dance. Something to look for, come ’08.
And Bush reads this all as a successful war. I think I’m going to be sick.