War's "grim milestone" and the "upbeat" Bush

[ProSense]

U.S. military deaths in Iraq reach 2,500

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer
3 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that 2,500 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq war since it began more than three years ago.

The grim milestone was announced just hours before the House was to begin a symbolic election-year debate over the war, with Republicans rallying against calls by some Democrats to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

While there were no details on who it was or where the 2,500th death occurred, it underscored the continuing violence in Iraq, just as an upbeat President Bush returned from Baghdad determined that the tide was beginning to turn in the war, which began in 2003.

Some members of Congress have been calling for a timetable for the eventual withdrawal of troops from Iraq, of which there are about 127,000. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., planned to introduce an amendment to the Senate's annual military measure to redeploy U.S. combat forces from Iraq by year's end, though Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., a potential 2008 presidential candidate, and other Democrats have opposed setting a rigid deadline.

According to the Pentagon totals, there have been 1,972 service members killed in action in Iraq, and another 528 died from other non-hostile causes. There also have been 18,490 troops wounded in action, including 8,501 who did not return to duty.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060615/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq2_3

[Trouser Trout]

1. But it's going well, right? n/t