Res Publica 2005

This is from Jed Babbin at NRO about the numbers being bandied about regarding deaths in the Iraqi War, which shows that Kerry et al are just pulling our propaganda strings:

But like so much else in the Democrats' relentless attack on the war, it is — in the immortal words of M*A*S*H's Col. Sherman Potter — "horse hockey." A senior administration source filled me in on the real numbers. This does not diminish the enormous sacrifice represented by each and every one of those Americans who have given their lives in this war; it only shows how low the Dems will go to make a political point.

The real numbers tell a very different story than the line Kerry and Edwards are peddling. From the beginning of the war in March 2003 through October 2, 2004, about 800 American troops had been killed in action (another 260 died of non-combat causes). In that same period, about 750 Iraqis and 120 Coalition soldiers were killed in action. The math just doesn't work for Kerry-Edwards. It's 48 percent, not 90 percent. And the percentage is decreasing.

If you count the number of combat dead from May 2003 to October 2004, Americans are 700 out of about 1540 total (which includes the 750 Iraqi and 90 Coalition casualties), or 45 percent. From September 1, 2003, to October 2, 2004, Americans constitute 43 percent of combat deaths (600 Americans, 700 Iraqis, and 80 Coalition KIA).

All these numbers are gruesome; none is pleasant to contemplate. But none of them — from beginning to end — amounts to the bill of goods Kerry-Edwards are selling.