Why are you here? why are you voting? what is it good for if we forget this:

[caligirl]

2007 Deadliest for US Troops in Iraq




Mentally Disabled Women Used in Bombings

AP | STEVEN R. HURST | February 1, 2008 at 09:55 PM
Read More: Baghdad Market Bombs, Iraq Casualties, Iraq War, Warwire
BAGHDAD — Two women described as mentally disabled and strapped with remote-control explosives _ and possibly used as unwitting suicide bombers _ brought carnage Friday to two pet bazaars, killing at least 91 people in the deadliest day since Washington...

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2007 Deadliest Year For US Troops In Iraq

AP | BRADLEY BROOKS | December 30, 2007 09:31 PM
Read More: Baghdad, Casualties, Iraq, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Invasion, Iraq War, Iraq War Deaths, Troop Deaths Iraq, US Troops Iraq, Warwire
The second half of 2007 saw violence drop dramatically in Iraq, but the progress came at a high price: The year was the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion, with 899 troops killed. American commanders and diplomats,...

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Car Bomb Kills 11, Wounds 64 In Baghdad Market

AP | December 28, 2007 08:45 AM
Read More: George W. Bush And Iraq, Iraq Car Bomb, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Death, Iraq Surge, Iraq War
A car bomb detonated in the middle of a busy market in central Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 64, police and hospital officials said. At least one woman and a child were killed in the...

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US Says 11 Shia Militants Dead After Raid In SE Iraq

BBC | December 27, 2007 03:30 PM
Read More: Iraq, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Militants, Iraq War, Warwire
The raid was said to have targeted members of a Shia group which has broken away from the Mehdi Army militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr. Separately, the US military said it had captured two militants suspected of involvement...

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Bush Wednesday: I Understand Iraq "Consequences Firsthand"

White House | November 9, 2007 05:07 PM
Read More: Bush Combat Experience, Bush Iraq War, Iraq Casualties
The following is excerpted from an Interview of the President by RTL and N-TV, German TV: Q Do you think there's a point where you'd say only a military option is a possibility for us? THE PRESIDENT: I would never...

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2007 Deadliest Year For US Troops In Iraq

AP | LAUREN FRAYER | November 6, 2007 08:30 AM
Read More: 2007 Deadliest Year, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Troop Deaths, Us Troop Deaths In Iraq
The U.S. military on Tuesday announced the deaths of five more soldiers, making 2007 the deadliest year for U.S. troops despite a recent downturn, according to an Associated Press count. At least 852 American military personnel have died in Iraq...

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Iraq Death Toll Fell By 50 Percent In September

AP | STEVEN R. HURST | October 1, 2007 10:14 PM
Read More: Iraq, Iraq Casualties, Iraq War, Military
The number of American troops and Iraqi civilians killed in the war fell in September to levels not seen in more than a year. The U.S. military said the lower count was at least partly a result of new strategies...

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Cheney In '92: "How Many Additional American Lives Is Saddam Worth...Not Very Damn Many"

| September 28, 2007 10:29 AM
Read More: Dick Cheney, Dick Cheney Iraq, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Violence, Iraq War
A recently-unearthed video from 1992 shows Vice President Dick Cheney predicting the mess that occupying Iraq would create: If you get into the business of committing U.S. forces on the ground in Iraq, to occupy the place, my guess is...

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Sunnis Insurgents Launch 'Systematic Assassination Campaign'

New York Times | September 26, 2007 10:59 AM
Read More: Iraq Assassination, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Insurgents, Iraq War
Sunni Arab extremists have begun a systematic campaign to assassinate police chiefs, police officers, other Interior Ministry officials and tribal leaders throughout Iraq, staging at least 10 attacks in 48 hours. Eight policemen have been killed, among them the police...

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Cost Benefit Analysis

Larry Beinhart | Posted September 23, 2007 | Politics
Read More: Cost Of The War, Iraq Casualties, U.S. Casualties, War In Iraq, War On Terror
Larry Beinhart


The War in Iraq has cost about $453,000,000,000 (four hundred and fifty-three billion dollars) to date.

That's pretty hard to grasp. Especially on my income and probably on yours. Let's bring that home and make it a little more understandable.

I live in Ulster County, New York. Our...

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Poll: Civilian Toll In Iraq Could Top 1 Million

Los Angeles Times | Tina Susman | September 14, 2007 10:39 PM
Read More: Iraq, Iraq Casualties, Iraq Civilians, Iraq War, Sadr City
A car bomb blew up in the capital's Shiite Muslim neighborhood of Sadr City on Thursday, killing at least four people, as a new survey suggested that the civilian death toll from the war could be more than 1 million....

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Boehner: Iraq Losses "A Small Price" To Pay

The Horse's Mouth | September 13, 2007 10:46 AM
Read More: Iraq Casualties, John Boehner, John Boehner Iraq
Okay, if this isn't portrayed as a major gaffe, with wall-to-wall condemnations from the pundits, it'll be stunning. (Editor's note: That was meant to be bitterly ironic.) I've just received some advance excerpts of an interview CNN's Wolf Blitzer has...

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Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders | Posted September 7, 2007 | Politics
Read More: Alive Day Memories, Hbo, Injured Soldiers, Iraq Casualties, James Gandolfini, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/iraq-casualties

If you cannot support a democratic candidate other than your choice are you forgetting about the worst nightmare these soldiers face everyday? Don't let these people down.

[ClassWarrior]

1. Call your Senators today!!

Dear (CW),

I appologize for the mistake. The actual number for the Congressional Switchboard is: 202-224-3121. They will be voting this afternoon. Please make this call today and make your voice heard one more before we take ACTION on March 19th.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) has offered a bill that would cut off funds for deployment of US troops after 120 days and require that any money be used to withdraw troops and fund limited missions. The Senate will vote on it this Tuesday.

We cannot wait for a new president to take office to demand a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The momentum must continue, with Congress keeping up the drumbeat for a change in Iraq policy.

Call your Senators' offices and talk directly with their staff. You can reach the congressional switchboard at 202-244-3121.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, it is as clear as ever that the cost of the war in Iraq—in money, lives, US credibility in the global community—remains alarmingly high. Thank you for contributing your time and energy to the ongoing fight for a new direction in our foreign policy.

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Martin
Executive Director
Peace Action

NGU.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. K&R. Excellent post. Too many people forget.

"The war in Iraq" or just "Iraq" is only considered one of the issues that people are facing in the upcoming election. This is nuts. We are at war for no good reason and Americans continue to die in Iraq. Where is CNN's "Bravest Wall" now?! The MSM has let the American people forget. We can't and we shouldn't. Thanks for the reminder...:kick:

[meow mix]

3. not voting for the nominee = supporting the Bush death machine +100 years

[Debi]

7. Ohh to be able to nominate a single post!

:hi:

[nonconformist]

4. Why am I here? Because I've been a Democrat my entire life.

I'm not only a Democrat because of the Iraq war. I didn't have an epiphany and decide to change when that happened. I've always been a Democrat, yellow dog, straight ticket voter. Always will be.

I hate the war, and was against it from the very beginning. I want it to end. My husband is an Army vet and my children were born in Army hospitals. I care very deeply about our men and women in uniform, because they're not some "theoretical entity" to me. They're my friends, my family. I've done a lot of work in my life re: veteran issues.

While this is a huge issue, it's not the only issue. Our country is in peril. Millions are without health insurance. The middle class is being destroyed. The economy is in the toilet. The GLBT community continues to be shat upon. My children are the victims of NCLB. I could go on and on.

Bottom line, I'm getting kind of sick of these constant loyalty oath threads. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who isn't as dedicated to a Democratic agenda as myself. I was raised in a union-supporting, politically involved Democratic family. It's in my blood. And I'm also getting sick of that dedication being taken for granted. How dare I ask that our Democratic candidates actually court MY piddly vote?

I've never said I wouldn't vote. I have said that I don't know yet what I'm going to do, because being a life-long Democrat I have some very real, fundamental problems with the direction things are going in our party. The most I can do at this point is say that I will try to muster up an anti-McCain vote if Obama is the nominee.

I also have to wonder if this is part of the reason we are so divided right now. I know a lot of Obama supporters that are fairly new to politics, regardless of age, that came alive due to the Iraq war. It's not so much that they're on board with liberal, progressive ideas in a broad sense than that they're against the war and chose the side that wasn't responsible for it. This is where my skepticism and cynicism comes from. Because the Iraq war is a very huge issue, but it's not the only issue.

[ClassWarrior]

5. ~psssttttt~ I think the OP's suggesting we concentrate on what's important...

...and not pettiness. Do you feel differently?

NGU.

[nonconformist]

6. No, we absolutely should be focused on what's important. nt

[ClassWarrior]

8. Cool.

:toast:

NGU.

[caligirl]

9. Hey nonconformist, sorry you missed my point, but as things have been around

here I too have reacted with equal suspicion over someones intentions. Your heartfelt sentiments are still appreciated though. I am struck by all the similarities in our family. Marine Corps 22 years after the Naval Academy and flight school, deployments reaking havoc on son #1. I wouldn't say I am a yellow dog but I did vote for Reagan , once. I was raised by deep south parents in the Air Force too. My husband has always been a dem and said from the beginning we don't have enough bullets to fight the Iraq war, while I switched to the dems along time ago. I support Edwards, love the man, but Obama is my choice now. As for the younger crowd, they have a huge stake in what happens in this war. They will pay for it for decades with either their future or their lives. I have two sons, we got champused out so no military hosp births,I believe these kids deserve to have a great say in who will lead them to the side of light. I think their making the right choice and most of the ones I know don't give a crap about someones sexual orientation. Both of my sons have had or currently do have a gay roommate. Currently my youngest straight son has a fantastic roommate whom he chose to room with, he's on the deans list as well as President of the GLBT club at their university, a catholic university. I believe in the knowledge of my sons and their friends and have seen how much more they understand and know than I ever did at that age. these kids do understand the health insurance crisis, they see what happens, they are not blind to it. It affects them too as they graduate college and see how difficult it can be to find employment with good benefits, they have family adversely affected. My sons both have medical issues and we face this issue in our home. They see it they get it. Have faith in this group of kids, they are amazing.

[nonconformist]

11. Thanks.

I'm sorry I posted that in your thread, which is a very good OP, I might add. These are just things that have been on my mind and this thread seemed as good of a place as any to post them. I didn't mean to distract from your message though - we absolutely should be focusing on the important things.

I too was an Edwards supporter, I simply adore him. I hope that whoever the nominee might be, he has a powerful position in their administration. I think his is a voice we so desperately need in Washington.

I'm pleased to hear about your bright, wonderful sons. Mine are only 9 and 12, but I think of the effect all this crap will have in their lives often. I have a wonderful little brother who is 20, who is also very aware of the issues.

I certainly hope that despite all this infighting and division that we're all on the same side. I'm admittedly cynical and skeptical, and I have a bad feeling about a lot of this, but I definitely hope it all works out well.

[caligirl]

12. thanks too.just a few minutes until the last debate. hope we learn something new. n/t

[caligirl]

10. 8 recommends thank you everyone for showing you understand the greatest reason we vote

for a democratic nominee. Real lives are at stake in this, the soldiers and their families need us to remember them in this. A valid point has been made up thread that we also remember we share other issues in common. It is an important point. I feel that as Will Pitt said in another more colorful thread we cannot risk this election. We have to find it in ourselves to rise above the bickering and dislike for the other candidate to put our priorities straight. The men and women in peril through no fault of their own deserve our maturity and clear level headed best thinking.

My husband did not have to go to war but he did serve 22 years in the Marine Corps as both a helo pilot and with a battalion as an air officer, as well as a beach and port outfit. He left in 1990.

We have a chance here to correct a grevious wrong if we can hang tough and join together for the wounded and the deceased, for the families and those left behind. The kids and spouses left behind of the soldiers who paid with their lives. They need to know the war will end.