Iraq Deaths: Tragedy Tinged with Hope

Continuing deaths of both U.S. troops and Iraqi citizens at the hands of terrorists and former Hussein holdouts is a very, very sad story.

By now, reader's eyes may glaze over when commentators mention how much good news in Iraq is being ignored. You have also likely heard the comparison of daily terror deaths with the carnage on America's highways. Yet, liberals would rightly insist that highway deaths are unintended and there is no doubt that the current tragedy unfolding in Iraq would not be taking place had we not invaded.

This may shock some, but I agree with that sentiment. Do a Google news search on Iraq and you are likely to see story after story of tragedy that in a better world would not happen.

Liberals are correct (they can't be right) that had we not invaded, the almost daily count of five deaths here, ten deaths there from terror attacks would not be taking place.

The Saddamites who are committing this carnage would be doing much better. Hussein was in power for twenty four years. Even by the most conservative estimate CNN (not known for it's participation in the vast right wing conspiracy) lowballs the number of deaths under Hussein at 300,000. That averages to 34 tragic deaths every single day for twenty four years! And it doesn't take into account the men, women and children whose lifes were horribly snuffed out in chemical weapons attacks on Halabja and the tens of thousands of Iranians, not to mention Iraqis killed in the Iran Iraq war.

And yet, our leftist/socialist pals would scream about the "human rights" of these butchers and how awful it is that the United States interrogates and imprisons them. Meanwhile, up to 100,000 Africans die in Darfur.

Forgive my incredulity, but how can you oppose the actions of the United States and our allies to bring an end to such evil? I realize there are still people who would deny that the holocaust occurred under Nazi Germany. But I've been to Dachau, the first concentration camp, and they weren't baking bread in this oven which I photographed in 1984.

Even Democrats concede that failure is not an option in Iraq. The opportunity to bring a fresh age of hope to those who suffered at the hands of evil for so long is not a path that will be easy or quick. However, the alternative future is a dark cloud that can only grow ever larger.

My advice to President Bush on the eve of his second inauguration: Stay the course!