2000 names, 2000 faces

The news is out today that the U.S. has lost 2000 men and women in Iraq. Such an awful milestone. I was listening to NPR's On Point on my commute home. Tom Ashbrook was interviewing a parent who lost a daughter in Iraq and has two others in the service. The man refused to let Ashbrook bait him into saying whether or not the war is justified. He emphasized the simple fact: we are there. If we simply abandon Iraq now the destruction will be horrific. Even if you believe we should get out, the process must be considered and deliberate.

In contrast to this parent, capable of such thoughtful words even in his grief, are people who say we must stay in Iraq to honor the sacrifice of those who have died. To me, that very statement is an insult to the men and women who made those sacrifices. It is exactly the worst reason to continue the fight. Such logic offers no chance to ever reconsider or retreat. When we've lost 3000, wouldn't the need to stay the course be even stronger? What about 5000, 10000, or 100000?

I find this way of thinking reminiscent of the blind rage that causes ethnic conflicts to last for generations without cease. They've killed ours, so we must fight back. Of course, they are thinking exactly the same thing. I am not saying this is what we are doing in Iraq. I am saying that the trap we may fall into is just as disastrous.