remember iraq?

Nov 19th, 2009
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   This morning Hamid Karzai gave his self-congratulatory speech for having been the most corrupt politician in one of the most corrupt nations on earth. He’s so pleased with himself for manipulating both the recent election and two administrations, he couldn’t contain himself. If President Obama returns from his Asian trip and decides to ramp up the war in Afghanistan, he’s absolutely no better than Bush.
Meanwhile, a few latitudes away, we are still in Iraq. For those fixated on Afghanistan, a little reminder:
Last week: US Iraq casualties rise to 75,168
 
US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 14 combat casualties in the week ending November 17 as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 75,168. The total includes 35,047 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as “hostile” causes and more than 40,121 (as of  October 31) dead and medically evacuated from “non-hostile” causes.*
The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as “Iraq casualties” the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions – were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, ICC names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***
US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb by occasionally reporting only the total killed (4,365 as of Nov.17), but rarely mentioning the 31,571 wounded in combat. To further minimize public perception of the cost, they cover for the Pentagon by ignoring the 39,232 (as of  Oct 31)*** military victims of accidents and illness serious enough to require medical air evacuation, although the 4,362 reported deaths include 889 (up three) who died from those same causes, including at least 18 from faulty electrical work by KBR and 196 suicides through Oct. 31.***
* The number of wounded is updated weekly (usually Tuesday) at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf.
** New York Times, Jan 26, 2009
*** http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf
Can we really afford to repeat this in Afghanistan? —VAB
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