From MSNBC:

A roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers in Baghdad on Sunday, the military said, pushing the overall American death toll in the five-year war to at least 4,000.

The grim milestone came on the same day that rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone, underscoring the fragile security situation and the resilience of both Sunni and Shiite extremist groups despite an overall lull in violence.
...
Last year, the U.S. military deaths spiked along with the Pentagon's "surge" — the arrival of more than 30,000 extra troops trying to regain control of Baghdad and surrounding areas. The mission was generally considered a success, but the cost was evident as soldiers pushed into Sunni insurgent strongholds and challenged Shiite militias.

Military deaths rose above 100 for three consecutive months for the first time during the war: April 2007, 104; May, 126 and June at 101.

The death toll has seesawed since, with 2007 ending as the deadliest year for American troops at 901 deaths. That was 51 more deaths than 2004, the second deadliest year for U.S. soldiers.

Vote McCain, help make it 8000!

A sad reminder:

General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker met with the President on Monday to hand over their recommendations for the rest of the year's war in Iraq. Among those, is the recommendation to extend the escalation of troops through the end of 2008 and into the next President's term.

From The NY Times:

But it now appears likely that any decision on major reductions in American troops from Iraq will be left to the next president. That ensures that the question over what comes next will remain in the center of the presidential campaign through Election Day.

General Petraeus, speaking to Mr. Bush by secure videoconference during a two-hour meeting of the National Security Council, recommended putting off decisions on further troop reductions for a month or two after the departure in July of five extra brigades sent last year to help secure the nation, the officials said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely about internal deliberations.
...
Referring to the troop increase ordered last year, [Michele A. Flournoy, president of the Center for a New American Security] said, “The only happy ending to the surge is for it to produce some strategic results, which it has yet to do.”

It seems that Bush lied to us again in another State of the Union speech. Just how many times have these lies happened in the past seven years? I think, too many to count. Certainly too many to stomach.

From the 2008 State of the Union:

Our objective in the coming year is to sustain and build on the gains we made in 2007, while transitioning to the next phase of our strategy. American troops are shifting from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and, eventually, to a protective overwatch mission. As part of this transition, one Army brigade combat team and one Marine Expeditionary Unit have already come home and will not be replaced. In the coming months, four additional brigades and two Marine battalions will follow suit. Taken together, this means more than 20,000 of our troops are coming home.

On the day before Bush was deciding to kill another 1000+ soldiers, he was doing this:

That last picture creeps me the eff out.

Bush speech on the Occupation:

"[Iraq is] trying to build a modern democracy on the rubble of three decades of tyranny, in a region of the world that has been hostile to freedom. And they're doing it while under assault from one of history's most brutal terrorist networks."

America?

Hillary in Bosnia: The Video Game!

HT: onegoodmove.

From last week's This Modern World:

Click the comic for bigger.

Hillary Clinton appeared on Countdown last night and posited the idea of Mutually Assured Destruction (a la Eisenhower), though not in as many words. While I see what she's getting at, I don't think such a strategy would work this time around. The Soviets and the the Extremolamicerrorists (or whatever we're calling this nebulous enemy) are two radically different threats. While the Soviets could be counted on to do what was in their best interests -- i.e., not destroy themselves -- the current enemy cannot. We are currently dealing with a group who has no regard for their own lives and in fact, in many cases, pursue death with frightening zealotry. I shudder to think of what might happen if the US adopts a neo-MAD policy. What quicker way, in the minds of our enemies, to meet those 72 virgins and send the infidels to hell (or rather, the Islamic equivalent), than to start a nuclear war?

is another one of those things you don't want to do. In a Newsweek article where a good friend's book gets mentioned, he lays out some lessons that we should have learned 20 years ago in the first Gulf War in regards to tensions on the ocean.

1. Even if outgunned, Iran will not back down from a fight. In 1988 the Iranians surprised American intelligence officers with their "aggressiveness and boldness," says Wise. In one of the shootouts during the battle in April 1988 an Iranian guided missile patrol boat confronted three U.S. warships. "Despite radio warnings that the Americans intended to sink it, the patrol boat captain did not surrender and instead attacked," says Wise. "Later in the battle two Iranian frigates left the safety of port to join the fight against what they surely knew were overwhelming odds."

2. Low-tech weapons are effective in naval conflict.
"Modern technology remains weak at detecting undersea mines," says Wise. But mines are not the only problem. In the 1980s, as now, the Iranians used "swarming" tactics against larger merchant and naval vessels, sending relatively small boats at high speeds buzzing around and near the U.S. ships. The same thing happened in January this year, and possibly—the boats were never identified—just last week around a merchant ship on contract to the U.S. Navy.

3. Fight fire with fire.
In 1988 the most effective way to combat the Iranians turned out to be with weapons similar in scale to their own. Special Operations Forces using stealth helicopters from bases built on huge oil barges in the northern gulf effectively shut down Iranian mine-laying activity there.

By contrast, the billion-dollar guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes, gunning for Iranians near the Strait of Hormuz, fought a battle against a swarm of Iranian gunboats in July 1988 that was inconclusive.

What was memorable about that day was that in the heat of the moment the Vincennes mistook a civilian airliner overhead for an Iranian warplane and shot it down, killing all 290 people aboard.

Iraqi Forces Assume Control Over Cities from US Troops as they celebrate Iraqi National Sovereignty Day on June 30, 2009.

Fireworks, outdoor cooking, dancing in the streets, gatherings of people in celebration of their country's freedom and independence. Sounds like we gave them their own July 4th.

Ingrates. We "free" them from the tyranny of an oppressive military force and what do we get in return? Some 150 lousy, sand-flea-infested military bases peppered all over their country...Maybe we shouldn't have left them all that money and state-of-the-art weaponry...