USATODAY: 2,000 dead in Iraq a time for grief and realism
The Tally
2000 dead soldiers
30,000 dead Iraqi civilians
300 dead U.S. civilians and contractors
100 dead British troops.
And more than 15,000 U.S. soldiers have been wounded in combat, many saved by medical advances only to have their lives shattered in other ways: lost limbs, shot nerves, paralysis.
Now, the unpleasent question: Was it worth it?
The president took us into war with Iraq, promising that this would save lives. Well, it hasn't worked out that way. To date W's lovely little war has killed more than 30,000 people. How many people would have died over the last four years had we not dethroned Sadaam - who remember, had no WMDs and no links to Al Queda? If your number is less than 30,000 - as it surely must be - we didn't come out ahead and the war was not worth fighting.
