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Tuesday, December 26, 2006

American Deaths In Iraq Surpass Deaths On 9/11

Meet the new Democrat/anti-war talking point:

The latest deaths also brought the number of U.S. military members killed since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003 to at least 2,978 — five more than the number killed in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Critics of the war in Iraq will be quick to fashion this into an argument against the war.  They’ll say that because more troops have died in Iraq than died on 9/11 the war wasn’t worth it, but I don’t think that’s a valid point.

It would be a valid point if our objective in Iraq were merely revenge, but it isn’t.  Our objective in Iraq was to topple a totalitarian, terror-sponsoring regime to a) stop that regime’s sponsorship (tacit and otherwise) of international terrorism and b) impact other rogue, terror-sponsoring regimes in the region.  Essentially, we’re not only fighting in Iraq because of 9/11 and other terror attacks originating from the middle east but also to prevent future attacks by changing the conditions in the middle east that cause terrorism in the first place.

Given that reality, the number of troops we’ve lost in Iraq in relation to the number of civilians we lost on 9/11 is hardly relevant.  What is relevant is achieving our goals in the middle east, and at what cost.  Right now I’d argue that the cost of our operations in the middle east are entirely sustainable.  Our military is recruiting more than enough new troops, and even after about 3.75 years in Iraq the total bill in terms of tax dollars spent is still a fraction (about $318.5 billion as of August of this year) of what we spend in one year on entitlements like Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare and Social Security ($1.32 trillion in 2005).

Is the war in Iraq costing us a lot in terms of blood and treasure?  Absolutely, but it’s worth it.

Comments

Avatar for FreeRepublicans.com

It would be a valid point if our objective in Iraq were merely revenge, but it isn’t.

Darrell Worley answer that question earlier,
“Some say this country’s just out looking for a fight, After 9/11 man I’d have to say that’s right”

The point of the War on Terror was from the begining to go after anyone and everyone that would think to come after us - but that just cannot happen when the people we liberate aren’t willing to stand up for themselves.

The problem with this “we have to train them first” system is that every house in Iraq has a gun and if they really wanted to defend themselves against the terrorists they would - but it’s pretty clear that they do not have the self-determination to do that.

I think the reason Afghanistan and Iraq prior to ‘mission achomplished’ was because the terrorists didn’t know what was going to get hit next. 

Sure, I know nothing about military strategy, but doesnt it make sense that it would be better to have them run around aimless worried about where the next bomb is going to drop than to be able to dig in as they are now.

But, that’s just me being a chickenhawk cause I wouldnt want to do the job.

FreeRepublicans.com on December 26, 2006 at 11:54 am

I don’t recall the NYT and Social Democrats protesting during WW II when we lost tens of thousands in Italy and Africa.


Communism is evil

Chief RZ on December 26, 2006 at 11:58 am
Avatar for FreeRepublicans.com

Our military is recruiting more than enough new troops

I just hope we don’t fill our new foreign legion with the French.

FreeRepublicans.com on December 26, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Avatar for Chad

Basically, Bush and Co. sold this war to the American people under false pretenses, and now it’s coming back to bite them in the ass. Maybe if they hadn’t repeatedly mentioned 9/11 in the same breath as Iraq, all the idiots who voted for Bush wouldn’t be so confused about who’s really responsible for flying those planes into the towers. Then again I’m not so sure the real reasons behind the war, oil and war profiteering, would’ve garnered any more support.

Chad on December 26, 2006 at 12:49 pm

The latest deaths also brought the number of U.S. military members killed since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003 to at least 2,978 — five more than the number killed in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

This information is a bit innacurate as it doesn’t count the nearly 700 civilian contractor deaths in Iraq. A death toll number closer to 3650 is more accurate.


"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
- John Adams

Troy_Pineri on December 26, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Avatar for FreeRepublicans.com

This information is a bit innacurate as it doesn’t count the nearly 700 civilian contractor deaths in Iraq. A death toll number closer to 3650 is more accurate.

Nor does it count those who died after medivac to Kuwait or Germany.

Only deaths “in-country” count apparently with the Penagon spin-meisters.

FreeRepublicans.com on December 26, 2006 at 01:29 pm

Chad said, Basically, Bush and Co. sold this war to the American people under false pretenses, and now it’s coming back to bite them in the ass.

Good grief. You believe your own bullshit.

Buzz off Chad. You’re obviously not here in good faith. Why don’t you leave this “piece of shit little political blog” and stay at your own blog? You can stew in your idiocracy at your low-trafficked little piece of shit political blog.

likwidshoe on December 26, 2006 at 01:42 pm
Avatar for robert108

If you clear away all the lying leftie BS, you have a casualty figure in three years that is less than in many one day periods in WWII, but that wasn’t used as an excuse to cut and run, demonize the military or to “get the President”.

robert108 on December 26, 2006 at 02:33 pm
Avatar for robert108

To demolish two leftie antiwar talking points in one sentence: “We should have stopped fighting the Japanese in WWII when we killed as many of them as they inflicted casualties at Pearl Harbor, and Germany never attacked us.” See, that was easy!

robert108 on December 26, 2006 at 03:58 pm
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