There's been some dispute lately over exactly how many people have died in Iraq since we decided to "liberate" it. The Liberal Avenger notes that it doesn't really matter, that either way we're looking at a massive number, an incredible story of suffering:
Is the number 655,000? I don’t really know. It is clear from reading the Lancet study that the scientists involved have as much confidence in that number as they can given the conditions under which the study was conducted.
What is the real number was 500,000? 300,000? 225,000? 100,000?
Would any of these lower numbers really undo the horror that has been done? Maybe 500,000 babies and mothers and big brothers and tough uncles and friends and neighbors sounds alot better bouncing around in your head. If you can wrap your head around 500,000, think how good just half that would feel! 250,000 dead people - it’s only half as bad as a half-million!
There should be no escaping whatever large number we can embrace as our unholy and inhuman gift to the Iraqi people. The wholesale slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people has never been a stated goal on our agenda, yet everytime a war supporter winks away “collateral damage” they set up another child or mother or old man to be shot, burned, trampled, run over or drowned.
[...]
Choose your number of dead - whether it’s 50,000 or 655,000 or a million - and sink your teeth into it. As the Iraq misadventure continues to implode think about that number as America’s gift to the Iraqi people and weep for them.
Exactly. Older estimates having Stalin's regime killing 60 million people have been reduced, ranging anywhere from 2.5 million to 15 million. That doesn't make Joseph Stalin or the Great Purge, Bolshaya chistka, any less bad.
That is an accurate and passionate wrap up by L.A. of the whole sorry affair.
I watched the press conference where George W. was asked to comment on the Lancent figure. He gave a grudging response, pretty much discrediting the study.
I was hoping that the journalist would screw up enough courage and ask this follow up question:
"Even if you think it is not 655,000 - what is the number that you think is accurate? Can you live with that number now that the world knows that the war was waged under false pretense? What have we achieved in Iraq for that price? Did Saddam kill this many Iraqis during his long, murderous regime? If not, who has done Iraqis more harm, Saddam or you?"
Today's evening news reported 200 Iraqis were killed in sectarian violence in just the past 3 days. 58 US soldiers have died since the beginning of October.
While we are focused on the dead bodies, we forget what is happening to the living. Liberal Avenger pointed it out in his post:
More than 1 million Iraqis are refugees who have fled OUT of Iraq, living in cardboard boxes while dad digs ditches during the day and mom prostitutes herself out at night in order to feed the kids. Another million people have been displaced internally - Shiites ejected from their homes in primarily Sunni neighborhoods and vice-versa.
Posted by: Ruchira Paul | October 16, 2006 at 08:59 PM
Obviously we all know that things aren't going well, but I think that was what struck me about LA's post -- the passion. It's a rather emotional response to everything, and and a more powerful narrative for that reason.
I would love to see George Bush honestly answer that set of questions. I can't quite decide if he believes his own lies, or if he just doesn't care, or if maybe he really believes he has no choice now but to play it as he is.
Posted by: Joe | October 16, 2006 at 10:38 PM