Bloody Christmas
There was no holiday break for soldiers in Iraq this Christmas season. Seven US soldiers died on Christmas Day, followed by six others the next day and nine the day after that. Only 3 of the 22 deaths were non-hostile.
December deaths are increasing at a worrying rate (3.79 per day for the month overall), making December this year the worst month for casualties in two years, exceeding October 2006 (3.55 per day). The average death rate over the past four months has been 3.1 soldiers per day, as opposed to 2.2 soldiers per day in all preceding months, excluding the initial invasion.
Meanwhile, Bush, on vacation yet again in Texas, reports “good progress” in his plan to escalate the war in Iraq, sending as many as 20 to 30 thousand more troops into the meat grinder. Thank god Bush realizes how hard that kind of work is.
It must be hard, especially when your priorities are to set up a good PR campaign to decide how to cast the plan in the best light with the best buzz words before you actually work out the plan itself.
Luis….Just wanted to let you know that you spelt Christmas wrong in your headline. Is it a political statement?!!!
Nope, just a typo, now corrected. Thanks for the catch!