The Associated Press, and other news organs are soon to follow, is touting a number who's overall relevance to anything is no greater than 999 or 1,001. But that's fine. The Democrats have been anticipating this day and its potential use to demogogue the fight against terrorism for quite some time.
The AP jumps the gun a little by counting "998 US troops" and "three civilian contractors killed while working for the Pentagon". More sensationalism without context from the "journalists." The number includes combat and non-combat deaths, so expect more press hype when combat deaths alone reach 1,000 - though I hope it doesn't happen. And why the AP decides to throw in an unrealated Democrat talking point, I have no idea:
The Bush administration has long linked the Iraq conflict to the war on terrorism. The Sept. 11 Commission concluded that Iraq and al-Qaida did not have a "collaborative relationship" before the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, and some have questioned to what extent foreign terror groups are involved in the anti-U.S. insurgency in Iraq.Just remember, the terrorists are still out there, but we are fighting them in Iraq and not Chicago right now. The President took the fight to the terrorists, just as the public demanded back in September 2000, when 63% of the public favored a broader war against terror rather than one limited to al Qaeda. A majority expected the War on Terror to take several years. And 73% said the danger of not taking military action against terrorists in general would pose a greater risk to the country.
Patience and resolve. Many have been liberated, and many more will yet be.
