It's funny how words and images around a news story can often coalesce into some third thing - an abstraction that tells an entirely different tale. I bring this up specifically with reference to Dick Cheney's coming out from behind the skirts of the White House after four days and fessing up "like a man"... or maybe more like a "total bitch", I'll leave that up to you to decide.
But whatever your take - finally Dick is on the record as being "The guy who pulled the trigger" - demonstrating yet again that one thing you can count on from this administration is a commitment to taking credit for stating the beningly obvious.
But I digress, because what Cheney's sob-sister/mea-maxima-culpa turn on the dance floor with Britt Hume and the subsequent news stories have done is left an image in my mind.
An image of Dick Cheney, gun in hand kneeling over his wounded friend.
And why does that stick? Because it translates into an image of war... it an image *from* war that is repeated countless times by American troops in Iraq every day. I guess the irony is to have that notion come so clearly home through the spin-doctoring of a man I consider to be pretty much evil personified - at least insomuch as I understand "evil" to be in any concrete sense.
Of course I can also imagine that Dick would sort of dig that self image - having never been to war himself.
And now for the cheery bit!! With thanks to The Brookings Institute and US World&News Reports.
The update as of January 25th, 2006:
2,237 US Soldiers Killed
16,472 Seriously Wounded
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Spent & approved to spend in Iraq $350 billion of US taxpayers' money
Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 milion in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors
Halliburton Overcharges and Questioned Costs Publicly Known to be Hidden by the Pentagon from Auditors $212 million
Troops Total 183,000, including 162,000 from the US, 8,000 from the UK, and 13,000 from all other nations (other than Iraq)
US Troop Casualities 2,237 US troops; 98% male. 89% non-officers; 75% active duty, 15% National Guard; 74% white, 10% African-American, 11% Latino. 22% killed by non-hostile causes. 52% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 69% were from the US Army.
Non-US Troop Casualties Total 201, with 98 from the UK.
US Troops Wounded 16,472, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries (total excludes psychological injuries)
US Troops with Serious Mental Health Problems 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home
Iraqi Military and Police Casualties 4,013
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated 39,200 to 79,400
Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated 53,470
Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed 361
Non-Iraqi Kidnapped 266, including 44 killed, 135 released, 3 escaped, 3 rescued and 81 status unknown.
US Military Helicopters Downed in Iraq 47
Estimated insurgents, June 2003 5,000
Estimated insurgents, December 2005 15,000 - 20,000
Daily insurgent attacks, Feb 2004 14
Daily insurgent attacks, July 2005 70
Daily insurgent attacks, December 2005 75
Trained Iraqi Troops Needed by July 2006 272,566
Trained Iraqi Troops, Per General Richard Meyers in March 2005 40,000
Trained Iraqi Troops, Per US Senator Joseph Biden in March 2005 4,000
Trained Iraqi Troops, Per US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad in August 2005 "Not very large."
Iraqi Unemployment Rate 25 to 60%
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity 10.0
Average Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity 3.0
Percentage of Iraqi HOme with Access to Piped Water 78%
Length of Gasoline Lines 1 mile
Hepatitis Outbreaks 2002, 100; 2003, 170; 2004, 200.
Car Traffic Change 500% from July 2003 to Jan 2005
Registered Cars Pre-war, 1.5 milliion; October 2005, 3.1 million
Inflation in 2005 20%
Children Enrolled in Primary School 2000, 3.6 million; 2004, 4.3 million
Telephone Subscribers pre-war, 833,000; September 2005, 4.6 million
World Bank Estimate of Iraq Reconstruction Costs $55.3 billion
Results of Poll Taken in Iraq in August 2005 by the British Ministry of Defense (Source: Brookings Institute)
Iraqis "strongly opposed to presence of coalition troops - 82%
Iraqis who believe Coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security - less than 1%
Iraqis who feel less ecure because of the occupation - 67%
Iraqis who do not have confidence in multi-national forces - 72%
Iraqis who rarely have safe, clean water - 71%
Iraqis who never have enough electricity - 47%
Fuck you Dick!
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