by James Glaser
October 13, 2004

Do you remember during the debate, either George Bush or John Kerry talking about the troops who are getting killed or wounded in Iraq? I heard them talk about what a splendid job the troops were doing and I heard Bush repeat again and again that he knew it was a tough job over there. But nobody wanted to talk about American blood being spilled.

The American media even glosses over our troops suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the Irish Examiner on Monday, there was a story about what is happening to our troops. A suicide driver exploded a car bomb in the path of an American convoy in the Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least one American and two Iraqis.

They went on to report, "At least 24 people were injured in the blast and subsequent gunfire. After the explosion, insurgents opened fire on the convoy from a nearby Mosque. Nine American Soldiers were wounded in the attack."

That was a big attack, a coordinated attack, and a lot of our troops were hurt, but was it on the news? In the same report, "Earlier, two US soldiers were killed and five wounded in a rocket attack in southern Baghdad.

Baghdad is the capitol city of Iraq. It is the place we have the most troops and it is the place where the new Iraqi Government is located, but American troops are not even safe there. That should be news. Every time and American Soldier or Marine is killed, that should be news. Talk about Supporting the Troops, we are not.

Now John Kerry keeps telling us that this is, "The wrong war, the wrong place, and the wrong time." But John Kerry wants us to stay and fight in this, "Wrong War." Does that make sense to you? All George Bush can say about Iraq is that he knows. "It is a big job, a tough job." Well yes it is George, and maybe it might help if you would do like every President before you, and start attending the funerals of the troops who are dying for you.

This War in Iraq is George Bush's War. He is the Commander in Chief. He calls the shots and he ordered our troops into harms way, the least he could do, is acknowledge their sacrifice and attend some of their funerals.

Both of the major party Candidates refuse to even talk about the daily deaths our troops are suffering, let alone the uncounted Iraqi casualties. There is a War going on in Iraq and every day more of our troops suffer the loss of their life or some horrible life long injury and we as a people ignore their suffering.

Every day these two candidates, George Bush and John Kerry spend more money trying to get elected. That money was given to them by large American Corporations, Corporations that are making billions of dollars off of this war. Could that be why there is so much silence about our troops getting killed and maimed? Does it all come down to money?