Happy Anniversary

Three years ago, King George began his war of choice.

He did so under false pretenses.

He did so without a plan.

And now here we are three years later, less close to an end to the war than we were when it began. Thousands of U.S. troops dead, countless more maimed and wounded, and god knows how many Iraqi civilians dead because of this blunder. Our credibility at home and abroad is shot. Our treasury is all but depleted and we have nothing to show for it. The world is more dangerous and volatile than before the war began and anti-U.S. sentiment is at an all-time high in our history. The country of Iraq has devolved into civil war, their government is held together by strings, and no one wants to really discuss that. Here at home, anger and distrust have grown toward the leaders who give us talking points and little more. Our media continues to shake its head as bad news pours in and pundits cheerlead from the side. War critics' pessimistic warnings and predictions have been borne out, but they take little solice at the high cost of being correct. And the administration that started it all admits no errors, has offered no new strategy, and has yet to be held accountable for one of the greatest foreign policy disasters in American history.

That is the horrific truth we face today.

What's the point of recapping all this? Just because it's the anniversary? Yes and no. For me, the point is that this war is real, what it has cost us (and is costing us) is real. It's not some idea or belief or image on the TV. I think it's important to remember that so it doesn't get filed away, somewhere in the back of our mind.

Numbers:
*U.S. dead- 2,318 (source)
*U.S. wounded- 16,653 (source)
*Iraqis dead- 33,679-37,795 (source)
*Cost of war to U.S. taxpayers- $248,475,336,650 (source)
*Total potential cost- $1-2 trillion (source)

This graphic from the Metro newspaper has a good history of events- Link.

Some veterans have returned and are telling their stories. It's worth listening to.

The American people, once cowed, no longer approve of this wasteful adventure-
Two thirds of Americans dislike Bush's handling of Iraq: poll (AFP)

If interested, take another history lesson on how we got here.

The Bush administration, of course, continues to play the blame game. The buck stops nowhere.

And the world this weekend speaks out on this disaster and demands peace...

Rallies Mark Third Anniversary of Iraq War