American deaths in Iraq continue to rise. I expect we will have a major flurry of news about this, when the official toll climbs to 2000.

It is a common assumption that the British with 93 casualties, our most loyal allies, are the second-hardest hit group in the Iraq coalition. That’s not true, however. What the government doesn’t like to acknowledge is that there have been over 250 deaths of “contractors” employed by the US government, which are not figured into the official casualty total. Some of these are truck drivers, many are mercenary “security contractors.”

Adding those 252 to the official count of 1765, gives 2017, so we are already long past the 2000 casualty milestone, which we will no doubt hear so much about in a few months.

As horrible as this is, it pales in comparison to the estimated $25,000 Iraqi’s dead from combat, and the possible 100,000 Iraqi dead due to all the war’s effects.

WMD Found? 0
Ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq (prior to our invasion) 0
Ties to 9/11 in Iraq 0
Ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq (Subsequent to invasion) many

If you’re not Outraged, You’re not paying attention