Bush Expresses Sympathy For 4000 Americans Killed

[Parche]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush expressed sympathy Monday for the families of the 4,000 Americans killed in the war in Iraq, promising to make sure their loved ones "were not lost in vain."


President Bush addresses the press with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Monday.

"One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come,' " Bush told reporters after a meeting at the State Department.

Military officials reported four U.S. soldiers died Sunday in a roadside bombing in Iraq, bringing the American toll in the war to the milestone of 4,000 deaths, including eight Defense Department civilians. Watch more of Bush's remarks »

The war entered its fifth year last week.

Of the 4,000 U.S. military personnel killed in the war, 3,263 have been killed in attacks and fighting and 737 in non-hostile incidents, such as traffic accidents and suicides.

The numbers are based on Pentagon data counted by CNN.

During a briefing with reporters Monday, White House press secretary Dana Perino said the president "definitely feels the loss."

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"He gets a report about every single soldier who passes away," she said. "And he always pauses a moment to think about them and to offer a prayer for their loved ones and their family and friends."

Bush also held a two-hour National Security Council videoconference Monday with his top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad.

Perino said the meeting focused on upcoming congressional testimony from Petraeus and Crocker, scheduled for April 8 and 9.

In Baghdad, a U.S. military spokesman said every death is "keenly felt" by American commanders, families and friends.

"No casualty is more or less significant than another; each soldier, Marine, airman and sailor is equally precious and their loss equally tragic," Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said.

In a statement issued Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the continued cost of the war in blood and treasure has become "unacceptable."

"With 4,000 American lives lost and thousands injured, many of them permanently, Americans are asking how much longer must our troops continue to sacrifice for the sake of an Iraqi government that is unwilling or unable to secure its own future," said Pelosi, D-California.

Earlier in the day, the Democratic presidential candidates commented on the death toll reaching 4,000.

"I want to take a moment to note yesterday's heartbreaking news that five years after start of war there have been 4,000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq," Sen. Hillary Clinton said at the start of speech on the economy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Monday.

"Tens of thousands of our brave men and women have also suffered serious wounds, both visible and invisible, to their bodies, their minds and their hearts. As president, I intend to honor the extraordinary service and sacrifice of them and their families by ending this war and brining them home as quickly and responsibility as possible," she said.


Her rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, also commented on the the "grim" milestone, saying "each death is a tragedy, and we honor every fallen American and send our thoughts and prayers to their families."

"It is past time to end this war that should never have been waged by bringing our troops home, and finally pushing Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future," he said. E-mail to a friend

CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano contributed to this report.

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:
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OH pukity puke puke puke

He and Rice-A-Roni make me :puke: :puke: :puke:

What a bunch of crap.......

:cry:

:patriot:

:hi:

[MikeNearMcChord]

1. Anybody who thinks that Bush is sincere about the 4,000

needs to get his a@@ kicked!:mad: F**K!! At least Cheney is more honest!

[New Dawn]

2. "737 in non-hostile incidents, such as traffic accidents and suicides"

A lot of those "non-hostile incidents" actually WERE hostile. For example, a lot of the "traffic accidents" were actually a result of convoys being ambushed. The Pentagon, and the compliant corporate media, doesn't like to admit that though.

[Nitrogenica]

3. One of the things Bush has made his theme on the war is this:

"Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come"

However that is hard to support without a lot of assumptions.

We need allies to support our cause, or we're doomed.

One of the few Allies in the region are the Saudi's, and there's a weird, creepy connection between the Saudis and the Bush family.

What is the plan for the Middle East, and why is it so hard to share that with the American people?

[cyberpj]

4. Meanwhile.... Dick Cheney spent the day fishing off the Sultan of Oman's royal yacht:

"Cheney spent Wednesday, the 5th anniversary of the war, not mourning the dead he killed, but fishing off the Sultan of Oman's royal yacht."

I truly believe Bush and Cheney are just waiting to pull the Iran trigger based on some sort or Iran aggression and therefore know full well that McCain -- the newest hand puppet -- will be elected.



(1) Worried Yet? Saudis Prepare for "Sudden Nuclear Hazards" After Cheney Visit

I. One Tick Closer to Midnight
Last Friday, Dick Cheney was in Saudi Arabia for high-level meetings with the Saudi king and his ministers. On Saturday, it was revealed that the Saudi Shura Council -- the elite group that implements the decisions of the autocratic inner circle -- is preparing "national plans to deal with any sudden nuclear and radioactive hazards that may affect the kingdom following experts' warnings of possible attacks on Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactors," one of the kingdom's leading newspapers, Okaz, reports. The German-based dpa news service relayed the paper's story.

http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1463/135 /


(2) US Gen. Petraeus “thinks” Iran is behind Green Zone attack

Source: BBC
The most senior US general in Iraq has said he has evidence that Iran was behind Sunday's bombardment of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

Gen David Petraeus told the BBC he thought Tehran had trained, equipped and funded insurgents who fired the barrage of mortars and rockets.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7311565.stm


(3) So? ...

It would have to happen on Easter Sunday, wouldn't it, that the 4,000th American soldier would die in Iraq. Play me that crazy preacher again, will you, about how maybe God, in all his infinite wisdom, may not exactly be blessing America these days. Is anyone surprised?

4,000 dead. Unofficial estimates are that there may be up to 100,000 wounded, injured, or mentally ruined by this war. And there could be up to a million Iraqi dead. We will pay the consequences of this for a long, long time. God will keep blessing America.

And where is Darth Vader in all this? A reporter from ABC News this week told Dick Cheney, in regards to Iraq, "two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney cut her off with a one word answer: "So?"

"So?" As in, "So what?" As in, "F*** you. I could care less."

snip-

Cheney spent Wednesday, the 5th anniversary of the war, not mourning the dead he killed, but fishing off the Sultan of Oman's royal yacht. So? Ask your favorite Republican what they think of that.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/