The war toll & Tony Blair.....

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The War Toll - 12/13/09 - Tony Comes Clean, Your Turn George


December 13, 2009 08:09 PM EST (Updated: December 13, 2009 08:27 PM EST)

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Tony Blair has said that if the WMD ploy didn't work in the buildup to the war in Iraq, he would have found some other reason to launch the preemptive invasion. In an interview aired on the BBC this morning, he added that toppling Hussein was the correct thing to do and that Iraq was much better off today with a democratic process in place.



Relatives of the more than 100,000 Iraqis that lost their lives in the ensuing chaos might disagree with the ex-prime minister, as might the several million citizens who have had to leave their homes and, in many cases, their homeland. And the so-called democratic process is far from being solidly in place. There are many groups and powerful blocs that oppose the western-mandated form of government. Last week saw multiple car bomb attacks in Baghdad that claimed 127 lives and wounded over 500.



Meanwhile, Iran continues to be its slippery self. After weeks of delays, Tehran finally agreed, yesterday, to exchange uranium for nuclear fuel. But, hold on, there was a catch. Iran's foreign minister said that the exchange would take place in phases. That means they would still retain enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon, a certain deal breaker for the western powers.



The situation is not unlike the smoke and mirrors the U.S,. politicians are attempting to pull off in their various healthcare reform bills. In those cases, health insurers are being required to accept customer regardless of pre-existing conditions, but the companies are then being allowed to charge whatever they want.



So, in other words, Iran's and America's current politics are pretty much on the same wave length, but American politicians probably have a better chance of getting away with it.



The Department of Defense, last week, released the obituaries of three military personnel, 21,26 and 31, that were killed in separate rodside bomb attacks in Afghanistan. The website icasualties.org, reports that total U.S. deaths in that country now stand at 934.



The DOD also released the obituary of one 23-year-old Marine who died in Iraq. The death was classified as non-combat-related. Total U.S. deaths there now amount to 4,371, according to the above website.

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