4,119 + 1,236,604

Total # of American soldiers killed in Iraq so far: 4,119
Estimated total # of Iraqis killed so far: 1,236,604







I came across a blog titled "Baghdad Burning" written by a woman from Iraq who was forced to become a refugee due to the war and American occupation. It is certainly clear that the people of Iraq don't even want us there.

One thing she said really struck me:

"And yet, as the situation continues to deteriorate both for Iraqis inside and outside of Iraq, and for Americans inside Iraq, Americans in America are still debating on the state of the war and occupation- are they winning or losing? Is it better or worse.

Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It’s worse. It’s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as Iraq’s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the oil, at least, made it worthwhile."

To me, the solution to this mess seems pretty simple: listen to the demands of the people with first-hand experience in the war. The soldiers. The veterans. The Iraqis. Why aren't we listening to what they are telling us, to what they want?

(Today I read an Op-Ed piece written by Barack Obama in the New York Times, titled "My Plan for Iraq." I really liked one thing he said, "I would not hold our military, our resources and our foriegn policy hostage to a misguided desire to maintain permanent bases in Iraq." Go Barack!)