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| Women's International News
John McCain Should Never Be Elected President
John McCain should never be elected President. The reason is his use of the word “victory” with regard to the situation in Iraq. It demonstrates how flawed McCain’s thinking is. Despite the fact that he should know better from his hellish experience as a prisoner of war, John McCain seems to have learned nothing from life’s lessons. He faults Barack Obama for not using the word “victory” with regard to the “Surge” in Iraq. What intelligent person would use the word “victory” in any application to the US involvement in Iraq - an illegal war, begun with an invasion based on false intelligence, taking an unheard of financial toll on American lives and finances?!
It’s as if McCain is living in a late ‘40’s John Wayne movie romanticizing war. If McCain calls the US actions in Iraq “victory” what does that say of the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians? Is there is some kind of “victory” in that?
And what of the banner "Mission Accomplished" which reflected the unreal perspective of the Republicans in the Bush Administration with regard to the whole military action of invading Iraq? It made a mockery of the hard and earnest work of the military personnel that labored and fought doing their jobs in Iraq up until that point. Are we supposed to ignore this awful legacy of George Bush and the Republicans, including John McCain? If the word “victory” is supposed to represent American attitudes towards what has happened in Iraq, then what is McCain saying? Is there some “victory” in what has happened to the Iraqi people when it comes to the collective toll the conflict has taken on their nation? What does that say about American diplomacy. I get a similar bad feeling when McCain tips his hand and describes his feelings about Putin, that he sees “K.G.B” in Putin’s eyes. Is this McCain’s idea of diplomacy?
As mothers of young citizens, we spend the first eighteen years of their lives each and every day protecting our young from harm, we don’t expect our government to be complicit in the sudden and thoughtless deaths and/or suffering of our beloved young people. Politicians should be required to go to the front lines themselves with their offspring to serve before they are allowed to declare any military action on people in another country. Only then could we be relatively certain that the military action must be truly needed.
Below are statistics drawn from different sources. Maybe some are inaccurate, maybe not. Even if they are close, they are dramatic. Look around on the Internet for yourself and see if you aren't profoundly saddened at the suffering, death, and financial cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. After reading these facts and statistics and doing a basic survey from the different sites on the cost and the toll of the Iraq war alone, it is apparent that there is no “Victory”. 2,000 Iraqi physicians murdered; 12,000 Iraqi physicians left the country; inadequate water supply for 70% of Iraqis; 28% of Iraqi children are suffering from malnutrition. There is no victory in statistics such as these. Let's have some truth-telling. Those statistics and these just below are from www.about.com.
The 75 US bases and military personnel in Iraq cost the US taxpayers 12 billion dollars per month
The cost of deploying a soldier for one month is $390,000.
Lost, unaccounted for and/or missing: 9 billion dollars; 549.7M in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors; 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles; 113 tractor trailers; tank recovery vehicles; machine guns; rocket propelled grenades.
Mismanaged and wasted: 10 billion dollars (2007); Halliburton overcharges 1.4 billion and 20 billion questionable.
Statistics that follow are from www.antiwar.com
Afghanistan Deaths
US Military……………………..610
Other military…………………376
Other casualties……………..314
Other contractor deaths…444
Iraqi deaths due to the US Invasion…..1,273,378
American Military Casualties in Iraq………..4,180
American casualties in Iraq……………………..30,802
Statistics that follow are from www.icasualties.org and www.iraqbodycount.org
Iraqi deaths since April 28, 2005
6,900 Police
43,572 civilians
Civilian body count from 2003 88,268-96,355
Below is from www.about.com
TROOPS IN IRAQ
Iraqi Troops Trained and Able to Function Independent of U.S. Forces - 6,000 as of May 2007 (per NBC's "Meet the Press" on May 20, 2007)
Troops in Iraq - Total 153,100, including 146,000 from the US, 4,000 from the UK, 900 from Poland, 650 from South Korea and 1,550 from all other nations
U.S. Troop Casualties - 4,178 US troops; 98% male. 91% non-officers; 82% active duty, 11% National Guard; 74% Caucasian, 9% African-American, 11% Latino. 19% killed by non-hostile causes. 54% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 72% were from the US Army
Non-U.S. Troop Casualties - Total 313, with 176 from the UK
US Troops Wounded - 30,680, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries (total excludes psychological injuries)
US Troops with Serious Mental Health Problems - 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home
US Military Helicopters Downed in Iraq - 68 total, at least 36 by enemy fire
IRAQI TROOPS, CIVILIANS & OTHERS IN IRAQ
Private Contractors in Iraq, Working in Support of US Army Troops - More than 180,000 in August 2007, per The Nation/LA Times.
Journalists killed - 135, 91 by murder and 44 by acts of war
Journalists killed by US Forces - 14
Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed - 8,687
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated - A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualties have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.
Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000
Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 554
Non-Iraqi Kidnapped - 306, including 57 killed, 147 released, 4 escaped, 6 rescued and 89 status unknown.
Daily Insurgent Attacks, Feb 2004 - 14
Daily Insurgent Attacks, July 2005 - 70
Daily Insurgent Attacks, May 2007 - 163
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Nov 2003 - 15,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Oct 2006 - 20,000 - 30,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, June 2007 - 70,000
QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATORS
Iraqis Displaced Inside Iraq, by Iraq War, as of May 2007 - 2,255,000
Iraqi Refugees in Syria & Jordan - 2.1 million to 2.25 million
Iraqi Unemployment Rate - 27 to 60%, where curfew not in effect
Consumer Price Inflation in 2006 - 50%
Iraqi Children Suffering from Chronic Malnutrition - 28% in June 2007 (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Percent of professionals who have left Iraq since 2003 - 40%
Iraqi Physicians Before 2003 Invasion - 34,000
Iraqi Physicians Who Have Left Iraq Since 2005 Invasion - 12,000
Iraqi Physicians Murdered Since 2003 Invasion - 2,000
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 1 to 2 hours, per Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (Per Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2007)
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 10.9 in May 2007
Average Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 5.6 in May 2007
Pre-War Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 16 to 24
Number of Iraqi Homes Connected to Sewer Systems - 37%
Iraqis without access to adequate water supplies - 70% (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitated - 22%
RESULTS OF POLL Taken in Iraq in August 2005 by the British Ministry of Defense (Source: Brookings Institute)
Iraqis "strongly opposed to presence of coalition troops - 82%
Iraqis who believe Coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security - less than 1%
Iraqis who feel less ecure because of the occupation - 67%
Iraqis who do not have confidence in multi-national forces - 72%
John McCain should not lead our country. John McCain is not qualified to serve as President.
Christine Vernon, Editor
Women's International News
christine.vernon@womensinternationalnews.com
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