Speaking of casualities in Iraq, as a former Marine I like to make this comparison. More Marines and Navy personnel died in the first hour on Iwo Jima during WWII then have been KIA in Gulf War I (Desert Storm) and the the Irag conflict to date. This includes all branches of the U.S. military and coalition forces in both conflicts.
Ah ... spelling error, make that casualties.
On Iwo Jima, more US Marines earned the Medal of Honor than in any other battle in US history.
In 36 days of fighting there were 25,851 US casualties (1 in 3 were killed or wounded). Of these, 6,825 American boys were killed. Virtually all 22,000 Japanese perished.
At the rate we are losing our soldiers in Iraq to combat deaths, it would take almost 10 years before they equaled the number of Americans killed on 9/11, and almost 20 years before they equaled Americans killed at Iwo Jima (in 36 days). Every death is tragic, but in the end I believe our actions will save lives.
Too bad the networks have such trouble providing perspective when they pick sides, and not too bad viewers are deserting in droves.