TODAY, I WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY 126 NAMES AND FACES OF SOLDIERS who had died in Iraq from September 5th to November 4th that appeared in the Washington Post.
These soldiers are from all over the nation, mostly from small towns.
Of these 126, 3 are from outside the United States — Puerto Rico, Guam, and Micronesia. 68 are from red states; 55 from blue. All are from America — and we should appreciate the sacrifices of all these people for what they are doing on behalf of this nation.
The Post had a total of 1163 Iraq related deaths when this list was prepared; 3 more have been added to make a total of 1166.
I see that Josh Marshall caught the same page today, and it made him pause.
I agree with him that we should all reflect on the loss of so many. Was this invasion necessary? What cost is too great? Where are we on this so-called war on terror?
I have my own answers to these questions which are obvious to those who read this blog — but for the moment, one of my preoccupations is exposing those who have been war-profiteers while also applauding and instigating this Iraq conflict.
These soldiers and their families deserve better than a picture, name, and home town in the paper — and those who have unethically profited from this mess deserve to be highlighted with mug shots for their ignoble behavior.
— Steve Clemons
