2500 soldiers died in Iraq...so far

[Phlegm]

From Associated Press:

(AP) The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that 2,500 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq war since it began more than three years ago, marking a grim milestone even as President Bush hopes a recent spate of good news will reverse the war's widespread unpopularity at home.

The latest death was announced as Congress was launching into a symbolic election-year debate over the war, with Republicans rallying against calls by some Democrats to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

While there were no details on who it was or where the 2,500th death occurred, it underscored the continuing violence in Iraq just after an upbeat Mr. Bush returned from a surprise visit to Baghdad determined that the tide was beginning to turn.

Some members of Congress have been calling for a timetable for the eventual withdrawal of troops from Iraq, of which there are about 127,000. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., planned to introduce an amendment to the Senate's annual military measure to redeploy U.S. combat forces from Iraq by year's end, though Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., a potential 2008 presidential candidate, and other Democrats have opposed setting a rigid deadline.

According to the Pentagon totals, there have been 1,972 service members killed in action in Iraq, and another 528 died from other non-hostile causes. There also have been 18,490 troops wounded in action, including 8,501 who did not return to duty.

Mr. Bush has dismissed calls for a U.S. withdrawal as election-year politics and has consistently refused to give a timetable or benchmark for success that would allow troops to come home.

Mr. Bush's visit sought to capitalize on the death of Iraq's most feared terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a key victory for the U.S. military, as well as recent progress in setting up the new Iraqi government. Bush met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been struggling to establish his new fledgling democracy and restore order to the capital city, which has seen increased insurgent attacks.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters Wednesday, Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham said it's more important to focus on the individuals lost than on any aggregate number.

"I don't know that there's ever a way that you can adequately thank a family for the sacrifice that they make in the loss of a loved one," said Ham, deputy operations chief for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Yet it's important to remember that there is -- there is a mission and there is a greater good which sometimes necessitates tremendous sacrifice."

Along with the U.S. troops killed in Iraq, the British military has reported 113 deaths; Italy, 32; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Slovakia, Denmark three; El Salvador, Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, one death each.

[Spazz]

Its not really a whole lot compared to other wars but still its a disgusting number when you stop to think that they are our country men and they are loosing there lives for nothing.

"under mountins of money well find all the bodies of brethren there is no one answer to = the sum of your questions aim high defend yourself look around you try to recall the truth as the wars rage as the wars rage"

A lil quote comes to mind whenever i here anything about this stupid fuckin war.

[Jay]

Says the guy with the Osama Bin Laden avatar.

[Spazz]

What are you trying to imply homie??????? Yea osama is a joke to me. So is the administration in power atm , iraq , terror/terrorists,9/11 , our freedoms in question , greed and selfishness dominate every aspect of life and everything else thats been goin onover the past several years. Just shake your head give a lil chuckle and say wow thats fuckin out of controll i cant beleive this is happening.

[Harrison]

Sorry to let you in on this little secret spazz, but that's life and it's always been that way.

It has nothing to do with anything you just tried to blame.

[WoWShaman]

2'500 Proud Men and Women died fighting for their beliefs in our country and our continuing future.

There is an easier way to bring them home. Nuke the middle east intill its a solid sheet of glass. Baring that even under false pretenses we are at war, The Congress voted it in, so make no mistake about it, no one is without guilt and all the anger shouldnt be directed at Mr Bush. He is a moron but for some reason he is still the president. It's the office thats too be respected not the man.

I want our troops to come home, I want three of my four cousins to come back safe and sound, but fuck anyone whom say's that they dont support the war but support our troop's. That hurts morale, and it hurts the foundation of our country.

However I will say this..I support the rights of liberty over security. Ben Franklin once said... When we give up our liberty for safety, then we have lost the rights for both. I believe that our country is living up to those word's in spreading and helping Iraq to rebuild, even though some of our proud men and women may not come home they are bringing the vision of our founding fathers democracy to the world so that other people dont have to live in fear of being gas'd by evil dictators.

Peace out everyone
<3 for the country and tequila and sodawater @@

J-W

[Naethyn]

Nuking proved out to be a great answer the last time too...

America spends 52% of it's budget on defense. Japan spends 0. All that money went to research and development. Now they are decades ahead of us.

[Thon]

but luxemburg could invade them if they wanted to

[Jay]

but luxemburg could invade them if they wanted to

Part of the deal is that we protect them so Luxembourg would get pwnt.

[The Kizzy]

2'500 Proud Men and Women died fighting for their beliefs in our country and our continuing future.

I promise you that not all the troops that died were there fighting for something they believed in. They were told to go, so they did there job and went.

[Drem]

but fuck anyone whom say's that they dont support the war but support our troop's. That hurts morale, and it hurts the foundation of our country.

So everyone should've supported Vietnam?

[Harrison]

Vietnam was 10X more fucked up than this war is.

[Spazz]

Thi$ one i$ just as fucked in a diffrent way $$$$$$$$$$$$$. I dont think its hurts the moral of the country or the troops to not want them fighting in some stupid fucking war where the only thing they could hope to gain is to come home in one peice.

[Arlos]

That's not the point. The point is the principle of protesting. Some deluded people thing you shouldn't protest a war, no matter how much you disagree with it. I feel that protests are a vital part of this nation's history, and we absolutely should protest wars we disagree with. There's a big difference between being against the war and against the troops. Draftees coming back from Vietnam had blood thrown on them and were called "Baby Killers" among other epithets. Nothing like that has happened this war.

Vietnam, people not only protested the war, they didn't support the troops. Those I've talked to from that era, who did protest the war, generally feel that that's their biggest regret about the protesting; ie, blaming the troops themselves and making life even harder for them.

This war, troops who come home are welcomed back with open arms, no one sane is insulting the troops themselves for being there, as it's in many cases not at all their fault, etc. Protests are directed where they should be, on the inept leadership that got us INTO this war, and so completely bungled the handling of the war once it started.

-Arlos

[Harrison]

No, now when you come home dead you have some fucking psychos protesting your FUNERAL.

[Arlos]

They're just a TAD bit smaller a movement than the protestors in the 60s, don't you think? There's what, 100 of them, and the entire rest of the country thinks they're raving assholes?

-Arlos

[Harrison]

True, but they do exist.

[Arlos]

Sure, out of 300 million, I'm sure you can find 100 people who will jointly believe in anything, no matter how bizarre: that the earth is Flat, that they need to wear tinfoil hats to protect them against alien mind control waves, etc.

On the plus side, that small group has inspired a much larger response opposing them, so at least the family members can see and realize that it is just a small group of whackos. Back during Vietnam, it looked like all of society was against them. HUGE difference.

-Arlos

[Eziekial]

I agree, blame the leadership for the war. That includes everyone in congress who voted for the war. All of them should be thrown out of office. Wait, that would like I think 1 or 2 people in the Senate and 20 or so in the House.

[Thon]

yes, it only takes like 5% of congress to vote yes for us to go to War

[Eziekial]

sorry, I forgot the word "leave" between "would" and "like". Sorry for the confusion.

[Ginzburgh]

GOD HATES FAGS!

[Captain Insano]

I wouldn't consider the war in its entiriety a mistake... I think the biggest mistake was to go to war without any real allies.

I think the western world has to face the fact that the muslim plague is growing and becoming stronger and that if diplomacy fails that invading the muslim nations will be necessary.

I would really like to see the U.S., British, Chinese, Germans and Russian team up and level Iran and split up the oil reserves. When we have a bit of momentum we should take out France too. Everyone knows they are a safehaven for pussies and terrorists.

[Narrock]

I wouldn't consider the war in its entiriety a mistake... I think the biggest mistake was to go to war without any real allies.

I think the western world has to face the fact that the muslim plague is growing and becoming stronger and that if diplomacy fails that invading the muslim nations will be necessary.

I would really like to see the U.S., British, Chinese, Germans and Russian team up and level Iran and split up the oil reserves. When we have a bit of momentum we should take out France too. Everyone knows they are a safehaven for pussies and terrorists.

Actually, Jaques Chirac made a statement about a month ago that terrorism will not be tolerated in France, and that if any Muslims tried to pull any shenanigans in France, that they will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see that Chirac grew some cahones finally.

[DESX]

Nuking proved out to be a great answer the last time too...

America spends 52% of it's budget on defense. Japan spends 0. All that money went to research and development. Now they are decades ahead of us.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0904504.html

They arent even close to being ahead of us military wise even if we were to spend 52% of total military expenditure on defense. Even during 2000 our military budget was 300 billion at least half of that was for research and development. Military spending for japan has always been like 40-50 billion.