A Grim Milestone In Iraq…

While every sneeze of Obama/Clinton/McCain attracts reams and reams of media/blog coverage, Iraq seems to have become a violent theatre of death and destruction in some other planet in the universe. The recent AP story underscores this irony in the grim milestone reached on Sunday when four US soldiers were killed in Baghdad.

“The overall U.S. death toll in Iraq rose to 4,000 after four soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, a grim milestone that is likely to fuel calls for the withdrawal of American forces as the war enters its sixth year.

“The Associated Press count of 4,000 deaths is based on U.S. military reports and includes eight civilians who worked for the Department of Defense. Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians also have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion on March 20, 2003, although estimates of a specific figure vary widely due to the difficulty in collecting accurate information. One widely respected tally by Iraq Body Count, which collects figures based mostly on media reports, estimates that 82,349 to 89,867 Iraqi civilians have lost their lives in the conflict.

“The American deaths occurred Sunday, the same day rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad and a wave of attacks left at least 61 Iraqis dead nationwide.

“Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, a military spokesman, said: ‘There have been some significant gains. However, this enemy is resilient and will not give up, nor will we. There’s still a lot of work to be done’.

“President Bush has insisted the decline in violence shows his strategy is working and needs more time, a position taken by Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.”

With Tibet and Iraq providing the background, President Bush would have lot of things in common to discuss with his counterpart in China when he goes to attend the opening of the Beijing Olympics in a few months!!! More here….