Bush toady General Peter Pace underestimates Iraq War fatalities in Memorial Day media appearance

[NNN0LHI]

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Top_General_underestimates_US_fatalities_in_0528.html

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff dramatically underestimated the number of deaths of US Armed Service-members in the Iraq War. The gaffe came as General Peter Pace appeared on CBS News Monday morning to discuss Memorial Day.

"When you take a look at the life of a nation and all that's required to keep us free, we had more than 3,000 Americans murdered on 11 September, 2001. The number who have died, sacrificed themselves since that time is approaching that number," General Pace told CBS Early Show's Harry Smith. "And we should pay great respect and thanks to them for allowing us to live free."

General Pace's remarks were erroneous on several counts.

First, the website Iraq Coalition Casualty Count puts the number of US service-members killed since the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003 at 3,455. The Pentagon only lists it as 3,441, with 14 deaths not yet being confirmed by the Pentagon. With either number, the total number of fatalities long passed the count of victims who died on 9/11.

Second, the General overestimated the number of deaths on 9/11. The website September 11, 2001 Victims states that 2,996 died in the attacks, rather than "more than 3,000 murdered" that Pace cites.

Finally, many of the victims who died on 9/11 were not American citizens. The aforementioned website lists 209 of the victims as foreign nationals.

[Fridays Child]

1. Oh, you're talking about facts. How reality-based community of you.

/sarcasm

[MADem]

2. That bastard's greatest operational achievement was moving the furniture around in his goddamned

office. He is a desk-driving muthafucka who has slimed his way up the ladder, doing the absolute minimum operationally, and retreating to air conditioned, senior-asskissing comfort at every opportunity. And anyone who knows the bum will say I am right on the mark with that assessment. He is NOT respected in the rarified air of the Flag/General messes. He's TOLERATED. And talked about, sotto voce.

And "Toady" doesn't begin to describe the brown-nosing baastid's way of doing business. But it's certainly an efficient shorthand to describe him!

And I dunno, but I'd guess all those American Citizen Contractors who died over that way count to THEIR families...like the Merchant Marine deaths during WW2 mattered to the families of those folks, too....but hey, when you're talking WAR casualties (unlike nahn wun wun casualties) you want to keep the numbers down.

They LOVE that "three thousand" number for nahn wun wun, though. And for some reason, when that subject comes up, they like MORE THAN rather than ALMOST or FEWER THAN to precede it. I can't imagine why MORE would make them feel good, but it sure does. Interesting, that.

[Captain Hilts]

3. His speech last Memorial Day was shameless political toadism.

I was never able to find it on the JCS website.