Frankly, when we launched the war, I expected it to be higher...I figured we might loose 2-3000 in the invasion alone. But, that was when I assumed that Saddam would attack our troops with chemical and/or biological weapons. Luckily (or not), many more of the wounded survive these days, thanks to specially designed "bullet proof" vests that ooze a blood coagulant when pierced.
The "casualties" (dead and wounded) in this war now are more than the dead and wounded from 911.
Had we found the weapons stockpiles....or even a fraction of what we expected, this sacrifice may have been worth it. Had we found direct terrorist ties with Saddam, something to suggest Saddam would arm terrorists with WMDs....it may have been worth the sacrifice.
But that's not what we found. Saddam had nothing....N_A_D_A. Iraq was a threat to no one but itself. There was certainly no imminent threat.
At some point before we stormed Bagdad, our troops were given the OK to remove all their Bio-Chem gear. How did we know so soon that those kinds of weapons were no longer a threat? I'll have to research that when I get back home.
Wether or not it was a good thing (for us) to get rid of Saddam, the fact is, we were sold a false bill of goods in the lead-up to the invasion. Even with these puffed up allegations, the Europeans would not support us. Why should we expect them to help us now.....now that they know George W. was misleading them (or trying to mislead them) into a war, they would be fools to trust George W and they would rightly be voted out of office. Had our troops been attacked with WMDs, it would have been easier for Chirac & Co. to lend us support. These leaders would have a much easier time selling their participation to their voters with John Kerry in office, even then it's not guaranteed, but something tells me he has some pull with the French, and their longstanding ties to Iraq would be helpful.
OK, now I'm babbling on and on about this....it's just that this election is so important for America....never before in my life has there been so much at stake. If we voters endorse Bush with a clear election win, it will send a message to the world that we, the American people, are complicit with W and his actions in Iraq. We, the American people, saw this president mislead us into war. Electing anyone who misleads their country into invading another country....it's all I can do not to invoke the dreaded 1930's Germany.
One thousand of America's best and brightest are now dead because of this war. What have we gained? Yes, Saddam is out of power, but Iraq is a more dangerous place than ever. We must leave, but not until we're sure it won't turn into an Afghanistan with oil, a terrorist haven, a theocracy, and now we have to deal with all the tribes, the Kurds, the Sunnis, the Shiites....damn, we had somebody to do this for us....Saddam! I for one, preferred Iraq when it was taking care of itself.
Ah, maybe we'll still find the weapons, right? Sure, I believe ya, George, tell me another one.