Keeping Score

Most people who are making any effort to keep informed about the war we are waging in Iraq are familiar with the recent battle in which hundreds of terrorists were killed in a Palm grove by U.S. forces called in by Iraqi military. What many may not be aware of is how the liberal media reported the event. In the Washington Post, they stated in a headline that U.S. and Iraqi forces had thwarted 500 fighters who were apparently targeting a Najaf shrine with the fact that two Americans were killed in a helicopter crash.
It is now common place for the liberals who want Bush to be perceived as having failed, while allowing a disproportionate number of our military to die, focus on our casualties. Of course, any loss of our military is cause for note, but the magnitude of our losses should be kept in mind as we follow our efforts in Iraq. The Clinton administration presided over a peaceful era and there were 4,302 active duty deaths in his first four years. This is to be compared with 5,187 during Bush's first 4 years in which we were engaged in 2 wars prompted by a terrorist attack on our country.