Today the casualties in Iraq passed the 1000 mark. Given the current polls in the presidential race, I have a few observations, and one question.

First, the observations. To date 1005 American soldiers have given their lives in Iraq, believing they were fighting terrorism. This does not include the approximately 150 “Civilian Contractors” of the American government who have died, nor the in excess of 10,000 Iraqi’s who have died, nor the nearly 7000 American wounded, who have given limbs and more to this fight. In the time since we invaded Iraq nearly two years ago, we have found not one shred of evidence of the alleged weapons of mass destruction, not one bit of evidence that Iraq was in any way allied with Al Qaeda, not one shred of evidence that Iraq could threaten the United States in any way. While the Bush administration strives to tie the Iraqi War with the “War on Terrorism,” there is no demonstrated connection whatsoever between them. Americans have died, cheated not only of a life and future, but even of a meaningful death, and American world leadership has been lost, because we were mislead into a war we never should have entered. How do the Iraqi’s feel about this? Ask their olympic soccer team midfielder who commented on Bush: “How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes.”

President Bush will finish his first term with a net loss in US jobs, the first president to do so since the beginning of the Great Depression. The gain in jobs in the last month that they have trumpeted are not enough to keep up with population growth, let alone overcome previous losses.

The National Debt as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product has decreased under every president since Franklin Roosevelt with the exception Of Ronald Reagan, George Bush the first, and George the second. Under George W. Bush it surpasses 70%, the highest level since the Truman administration. It was approximately 30% under Carter.

Fiscal years 2003 and 2004 both set records for the highest national deficit in one year. In fact the deficits of 2003 and 2004 accounts for 10% of the national debt alone, and fiscal year 2005 promises to be included with the preceding two years as the highest three years of national debt in history. In 2003 the US government spent $61 billion on Education, $56 billion on transportation, $15 billion on NASA, and $318 billion on payments on the National Debt. With the deficits of 2003 – 2005, this percentage will only increase, saddling our next generation with crippling debt. Taxes haven’t been reduced, they have been transferred to our children.

In the last year, according to the Census Bureau: “The number of Americans living in poverty jumped by 1.3 million last year… The percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty rose to 12.5 percent from 12.1 percent — as the poverty rate among children jumped to its highest level in 10 years.”

Given these facts (not opinions, facts) I have a single question for those who support the reelection campaign of George W. Bush:

Are you insane?