Comments on: U.S. Military Death Toll Hits 3,000

Texas Specialist Killed By Small Arms Fire Last Week; Caps Deadliest Month Of 2006

[heetseeker]

"The most painful aspect of the presidency is the fact that I know my decisions have caused young men and women to lose their lives," the president said.

How truly awful this is. Do we really need to know the name of the 3,000th casualty in Iraq? And even if it is "news" do we need to know on New Year's eve? What a gross intrusion on the grief of his loved ones.

I have blogged often on this site about what I believe to be gross incompetence and ineptitude of this President as it relates to the Iraq war. Today I take none of that back. Yet I am convinced that this man must have some real humanity. He must understand the full awful burden that his decisions have not only in terms of US troops deaths but on the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters that are left behind.

In 2007 there will be a troop surge in Iraq. Possibily as many as 40,000 more for a period of 12 perhaps up to 18 months. There will be more casualties. Many more. Yet there is no guarantee of victory. Nearly five years into the war 3,000 US troops are dead, an estimated 650,000 Iraqi's are dead and Iraq is on the brink of civil war.

But don't despair, according to our new Secretary of Defense "we are not winning, but we are not losing either."

My heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen.