September 18, 2003 - The going price for an Iraqi Policeman doing his job too near a US checkpoint is $2,000. At least that is what the CPA has offered to compensate the Iraqi cops killed by our most friendly fire a couple weeks ago. I wonder what price will be offered to the family of the child killed last night when our well trained troops opened fire on yet another wedding. There is a lesson there – if you are going to get married in Iraq you had best invite the American commander to the party. They get angry when they are snubbed and when they crash the party it ain’t pretty. That is how the Bush Administration will convince the Iraqis that their hearts and minds belong to us now, and that they had better not forget it. I wonder where all the flowers Dick Cheney promised the troops have gone.

Of course there is a price to pay for all of this Iraqi good will; but it is a small one. What is one or two soldiers killed when you have the world’s mightiest army? As wars go this one is penny ante. The US has soldiers to burn. After all, what are they going to do if they don’t re-enlist – get a job? It is a small price to pay for a Mission Accomplished!

Of course it doesn’t seem all that small when you are a father who won a bronze star in Vietnam and you haven’t heard from your youngest son in weeks and the news tells you that another convoy from his unit was ambushed today. It brings memories back, and they are not comforting. It doesn’t help when Central Command won’t confirm the news reports. The line is: “It is under investigation”. You heard it before. It seems like a long time ago. It doesn’t help when the foreign press reports 8 dead and the Pentagon press release says two wounded. You see the picture of a Humvee engulfed in flames and wonder what to believe.

We are beginning to get body-counts coming out of Afghanistan. 13 Taliban fighters were killed in an air attack yesterday. A precise body count of 13. My how our ability to keep score has improved in thirty years. American technology now makes it possible to fly the plane, drop the bombs and count the enemy dead all at the same time.

Maybe the news will be better tomorrow. It is something to hope for. Something is better than nothing.