2,000 Americans Dead; Don't Pass It On

The chief spokesman for the coalition forces in Iraq instructed the news media today not to report the 2,000th American death in Iraq as a milestone.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, director of the force's combined press center, wrote in an e-mail to reporters, "I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the effects on the families and those serving in Iraq. The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

Of course, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan and the military organization he represents have no specific agenda or ulterior motive for not wanting the press to focus on the number 2,000 when writing about how many Americans have died in Iraq.

Lt. Col. Boylan went on to suggest that instead of being so negative about the fact that 2,000 Americans have died in Iraq, the media should treat it as a festive occasion:

"Celebrate the daily milestones, the accomplishments they have secured and look to the future of a free and democratic Iraq and to the day that all of our troops return home to the heroes welcome they deserve," Boylan wrote.

Russ over at Pam's House Blend has a lot more to say about this:

See there? If you even notice that one-hundred score American servicemembers have perished in Iraq, you have an agenda and an ulterior motive. Your agenda, of course, is to purposefully mock the sacrifice of brave soldiers and demean their families by noticing that 2,000 of them are no longer living. Your ulterior motive is to provide aid and comfort to the enemy by pointing out that they are succeeding in killing our soldiers, and by highlighting the 2,000 American deaths you'll make people second-guess the war and pull out before we finish the job. If it weren't for America-haters like you, no one would have even noticed that the 2,000th soldier died today.

I have a suggestion, too. Read Russ's entire post. It rocks.