As of the most recent figures I saw today, the death toll for servicemen and woman in Iraq since 2003 stands at 3,990. That is 3,990 heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Be prepared for when that number reaches the entirely symbolic round figure of 4,000. No matter whether the pace of deaths has slowed or how much has been accomplished, be assured that the mainstream media will play it as a milestone of the long defeat of the United States, the inevitable stagnation of the most powerful military in the world in a new quagmire.
Don’t believe a word of it. It is all political theater designed to exploit those deaths for electoral and ideological gain. Instead, listen to the guys on the ground in their own words, unfiltered by the media. Michael Yon’s site is a good place to start. He’s no Pollyanna, but he’s no reflexive anti-war nut either.
But watch the media storm that will boil up. It’s coming. Mark my words.
Not to be a stick-in-the-mud, but do you believe it’s theoretically possible to be opposed to our Iraq adventure without being “reflexively antiwar?”
It’s one thing to have a considered opinion that the war either (a) was a bad idea to begin with or (b) that the current strategy is untenable.
However, the way most media treat the war is that bad news, or any news that strikes a political blow against the Bush administration, goes on Page One, while good news goes on B-12.
The aforementioned Michael Yon is not reflexively pro- or anti- the war. He has harsh criticisms for some things and praise for others. He doesn’t filter his approach through a political calculus that puts domestic politics above national security policy or the good of the American soldier or the Iraqi people.
Good for Michael Yon. Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to know the truth unless you’re willing to listen to both sides and you’re willing to consider the problem from all angles.