Snow on 2,500 U.S. Fatalities In Iraq: ‘It’s A Number’
Snow on 2,500 U.S. Fatalities In Iraq: ‘It’s A Number’
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked this afternoon if President Bush had any reaction to the death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq reaching 2,500. Snow responded: “It’s a number.”
Snow added that the President “feels very deeply the responsibility for sending men and women into harm’s way, and feels very deeply the pain that the families feel.” To illustrate, Snow reminded the press corps of when “you had this crowd of servicemen and women who were cheering loudly for the President, and he got choked up.” Watch it:
Transcript:
Q Tony, American deaths in Iraq have reached 2,500. Is there any response or reaction from the President on that?
MR. SNOW: It’s a number, and every time there’s one of these 500 benchmarks people want something. The President would like the war to be over now. Everybody would like the war to be over now. And the one thing that we saw in Iraq this week is further testimony to the quality of the men and the women who are doing that, and the dedication and determination to try to ensure that the people of Iraq really do live in a free, effective democracy of their own creation and design.
Any President who goes through a time of war feels very deeply the responsibility for sending men and women into harm’s way, and feels very deeply the pain that the families feel. And this President is no different. You’ve seen it many times. You saw it, you saw it when he was in that ballroom, Terry, and you had this crowd of servicemen and women who were cheering loudly for the President, and he got choked up. So it’s always a sad benchmark, and one of the things the President has said is that these people will not die in vain.
And part of what happened this very week when the President went to Baghdad, and he sat down with the Prime Minister and he sat down with the cabinet, and he sat down with the President and Vice President, he sat down with the national security team, and he sat down with the leaders of all the major political parties, what he saw now is that after all of this, what you have in Iraq is a freestanding government that has been elected by the Iraqi people. It has a Prime Minister who is going to be there for four years, who is determined to act as a Prime Minister, who is determined to lead, who is setting priorities, and he’s somebody we can work with. You have a Minister of Defense who has significant experience and is already working with his colleagues, not only here at the Pentagon, but also General Casey and others in the field. The President understands that those deaths cannot be in vain, and you’ve got a government now that can help ensure that that is not the case.
Q Was he told about the benchmark, the President?
MR. SNOW: I don’t know. I’m sure he will hear about it.
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99 Responses to “Snow on 2,500 U.S. Fatalities In Iraq: ‘It’s A Number’”
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Pleasant Tony, real pleasant, those same troops who guarded your scared little ass in that helicopter for the GWB Iraq photo op 3 days ago….probably have friends who are part of that 2500 dead….I dare you to trivialize those deaths to their faces……a-hole
Anyway Tony here are some other examples of “just numbers” you may want to know about for future trivialization………
230 billion dollar surplus from Clinton…..its just a number
4 hours of electricity per day Iraq…its just a number
30,000 - 50,000 Dead Iraqi Civilians since March 2003….its just a number
1732 days since Osama Bin Laden “wanted dead or alive”…..its just a number
———————————————————————-
Imagine the outrage in RW circles Tony Snow’s logic was attributed to other numbers
9-11 ….its just a number
June 15th, 2006 at 3:20 pm3000 dead….its just a number
“4.7 percent” unemployment…its just a number
4 million jobs “created” since Sept 2004 (??) ….its just a number
1 million abortions per year…its just a number
3 elections in Iraq since Saddam overthrow….its just a number
It’s a small number relatively. That’s why Democrats and Americans support the war.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:20 pmTony Snow should go to Iraq and be number 2,501 > shame on you Tony you damn jerk!
June 15th, 2006 at 3:25 pmHow high is that number going to have to get before we get serious about ending this war?
June 15th, 2006 at 3:27 pmI’m glad he said it. Let’s hope the networks carry this “just a number” quote as the lead story for their newscasts. Let’s show the American people how this criminal administration REALLY feels about the troops.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:27 pmNo, you incompassionate jerk, it’s the lives of brave men and women who wanted to serve their country but were unnecessarily killed by your draft-dodging overlords. What an ass.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:28 pmSomewhere around 65,000 Greg,
June 15th, 2006 at 3:28 pmWhy celebrate you or your child’s birthday Tony it’s just a number. Why should Bush leave office in 2009, it’s just a number. Why care about $3.00/gallon gas, it’s just a number.Why look at your paycheck it’s just a number.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:29 pmWhy celebrate you or your child’s birthday Tony it’s just a number. Why should Bush leave office in 2009, it’s just a number. Why care about $3.00/gallon gas, it’s just a number.Why look at your paycheck it’s just a number.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:29 pmBeautiful minds don’t get choked-up over such things.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:33 pm[…] “It’s A Number” - says Tony Snow when asked about the 2500th US Soldier killed in Iraq. I understand the logic, but the remark reveals the callousness of character. […]
June 15th, 2006 at 3:37 pmPerhaps Snow’s cancer could flair up and he can go meet his maker.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:38 pmHey Tony. “2″ is a number too. The number of elections your buttwipe boss stole from the American people.
It must be tough defending the utterly indefensible.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:38 pmLib4 has an excellent point. The way that liberals and democrats should address that argument that 2500 is just a number- such uncaring arrogance!- is to turn it around by pointing out that, allegedly, 9/11 was just a number and roughly 3000 dead on 9/11 was just a number and $3.00 + for a gallon of unleaded gasoline is just a number. If Democrats have half a brain, they would run ads across the country using those numbers to point out the heartlessness of Snow’s idiotic statement.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:39 pmWhat do you really expect from these jackasses?
June 15th, 2006 at 3:41 pmThey have already proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they don’t give a f$#* for the lives of our troops. Or the American people, for that matter.
I wonder if the families of the dead troops feel that they are just a number?
Why, I’m so choked up, I’ve decided, as the decider, to keep our servicepeople in Iraq for a decade to come. Now the fancy cypherin’ 3 years+ 2,500, that’s naught, naught, carry the naught, = 833/year. Now 10 years, naught naught, doublenaught, carry the one = 8,333 more dead + the 2,500dead = 10,833 .It’s a number, a good number, and I’ll get choked up again when the time comes, and the cameras are rollin’.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:44 pmTony’s little cancer wig once again appears to be stitched on too tight.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:49 pmI mean really, you liberal goons, this troop death thing is just a number. Besides, have you forgotten that on 9/11 3,000 Americans were killed by terrorists?
-GSD
June 15th, 2006 at 3:49 pmBy the way, why do conservatives put people who are sick with cancer to defend Bush. Now we can’t attack him according to the Coulter Rule.
-GSD
June 15th, 2006 at 3:51 pmIt’s just a number. Those numbers represent actual people who had people who loved them. They are just numbers too. That is a reue reflection of Bush’s attitude. We who did not grow up in a privleged household are not real people. We are here to just serve them. That is why Bush has not attended one funeral for those 2500 souls.
June 15th, 2006 at 3:51 pmIt’s a number, Tony?
Here are a few more –
1. It has been 1732 days since the _resident said he would get Osama Bin Laden “dead or alive.”
2. Over $288 billion 650 million dollars — that’s the cost of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, as of a few seconds ago.
3. As of 12:52 (Pacific), the US national debt was estimated at over $8 trillion 368 billion dollars
4. No. 1 on the Billboard Charts — that’s where the Dixie Chicks have landed!
5. An Inconvenient Truth had another great weekend at the box office taking in $1.5M in just 122 theaters for a healthy $12,333 per screen average. Look for the film to expand into 400 theaters across the country this weekend.
6. A Foriegn Affairs survey of 100 leading policy experts, including former Secretaries of State, and Directors of CIA and NSA, give Bush-Cheney a score of 1.8 out of a possible 10 in waging the “war on terrorism.” (http://words-of-power.blogspot.com)
You’re going have to be quicker than that, Tony.
Richard Power
June 15th, 2006 at 3:51 pmhtto://words-of-power.blogspot.com
I guess mathematics, and numbers in general, fall under their disdain for all Science .
June 15th, 2006 at 3:52 pmI agree, its a number. Since I or most of you dont have a dog in this fight, what’s the problem
June 15th, 2006 at 3:56 pmdeaths/gallon, the new measure for oil consumption
June 15th, 2006 at 3:59 pmRobroy;
June 15th, 2006 at 4:02 pmSince you don’t care about the people dying in Iraq, why don’t you go elsewhere so you don’t offend the people who do care.
Or in less polite terms “Scram!”.
4. No. 1 on the Billboard Charts — that’s where the Dixie Chicks have landed!
They can’t give away concert tickets.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:11 pmModerated by Admin.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:12 pmwhat a f**king liar! Bush doesnt want this war to end!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 15th, 2006 at 4:13 pm3… 2… 1……
Or more accurately: 2498… 2499… 2500 military deaths in Iraq. Commence …
June 15th, 2006 at 4:16 pmFrom a jackass’s mouth to the worlds ears It’s only a number not humans or lost of life but just a number. For all who support the Administration now you know exactly what Bush and his Administration think of Americans. Just don’t let one of the friends of the administration get hurt now that’s something to feel bad about.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:18 pmQ Was he told about the benchmark, the President?
It’s a benchmark? That’s how the idiots in the press think about our fallen hero’s??? They love to trot out the body bags don’t they? Recent studies of the Filthy Left’s media whores has shown that the MEDIA is responsible for more of our guys getting killed than would otherwise if they’d report the war like patriot Americans instead of shills for the Muslim headchoppers. The real benchmark should be how many traitors, spies and enemy combatants masquerading as “journalists” have been killed by US forces. Let’s see that number again.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:18 pmI wonder if the bushwacker got all choked up when US troops were going towards the Zarqawi house and as Counterpunch.org reports “Zarqawi himself was dragged dying from the ruins of his house by Iraqi police and strapped to a stretcher. “Zarqawi did in fact survive the air strike,” said Maj Gen William Caldwell, the US military spokesmen. Covered in blood he survived a few minutes after the Americans arrived and muttered a few unintelligible words. “Zarqawi attempted to turn away off the stretcher,’ said Gen Caldwell. “They–everybody–re-secured him back onto the stretcher, but he died almost immediately thereafter from the wounds he received from the airstrike.”
“The only resistance encountered by black-clad American commandos was from local Sunni villagers in the village of Ghalabiya, near Hibhib, who thought the strangers were members of a Shia death squad. Villagers who were standing guard fired into the air on seeing the commandos who in turn threw a grenade that killed five of the guards. American regular army troops later came to Ghalabiya to apologise and promise compensation to the families of the dead men.”
Maybe the bushwacker, haliburpin’ cheney and snow-job can all cry a river about paying the compensation to the innocent Iraqi families.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:18 pm[…] Check out his remarks when a reporter asked him about the 2,500 American soliders who have died in the war [via Think Progress]: […]
June 15th, 2006 at 4:21 pmI’m posting the same comment here as I posted on the Hastert thread:
He’s got to be freakin’ kidding. I am speechless…
June 15th, 2006 at 4:25 pm[…] “It’s a number”. But of course, it is those of us who dislike this administration who are the “mean” ones. […]
June 15th, 2006 at 4:28 pmIs 2986 is just a number too?
Soon 2986 Americans will have been sent to their deaths in an illegal war started by George Bush… the same number that were sent to their deaths on 911 by Osama Bin Ladin.
What makes the former worse is that we could have stopped these deaths… but we didn’t.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:29 pmLooks like America is winning the war
Iraq 180,000 dead
America 2500 dead
WAS IT WORTH IT WHEN YOU DONT GET ANY OIL MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS WAR
June 15th, 2006 at 4:30 pmIt’s a small number relatively. That’s why Democrats and Americans support the war.
Comment by Karl Rove #2
Rove(r),
Your family deserves to be among that “number”…
…I pray that you/they will be…
June 15th, 2006 at 4:37 pm#39
No, I would disagree. If Clinton had taken custody of Bin Laden from the Sudanese government like he should have, maybe 9/11 wouldn’t have happened. Maybe, if he had responded to the USS Cole things would have been different. Illegal war? I guess the 16 UN resolutions that Saddam broke mean nothing to you.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:43 pmHey TP,
Where’s the thread discrediting the Zarqawi documents as forgeries? In them, he describes how successful the American efforts have been in Iraq and I know you’ll want to do your part in convincing the rest of the moonbats that they are fake. Maybe you already know they are authentic since the troops have captured over 700 terrorists and killed another 100.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:48 pm#42
Psst…. Randy…. Bush is the President now. I know you hate Clinton, but the statute of limitations has run out for blaming him for everything.
June 15th, 2006 at 4:49 pm#42 Randy - If you wern’t so stupid I would try to explain to you how you are wrong on every point… but you are so why bother?
June 15th, 2006 at 4:49 pmNo one who feels any sense of responsibility for other humans, puts them in “harm’s way” by choice. And there was every possible choice to avoid invading Iraq, except that creating a permanent military presence in the middle east was one of Bush’s first priorities before he was even installed in office.
So either Bush is a liar, or Tony Snow is a liar, or they are both liars.
June 15th, 2006 at 5:16 pmJune 15th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
LET ME TELL YOU ,YOU YOU UNBELIEVABLE SCAG.
I HAVE NEVER MADE AN ATTACK AGAINST GAY PEOPLE ON THIS WEB-SITE.
UNBELIEVABLE–GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT YOU BUSY-BODY SPINSTER HAG!!
Comment by Denny — June 15, 2006 @ 2:48 pm
Here you are MA… using your favorite obscure word ’spinster’
June 15th, 2006 at 5:27 pmI love it, all year Liberals say things that hurt the troops, you show no support for these men and women. Then when a number like this comes around your all choked up.
The point Snow was making was that 2500 IS just a number. It sucks when the tenth soldier was killed and sucks when the 100th soldier was killed and it will be just as horrible of a tragedy when number 2501 is killed.
Its liberals that want to make this number a political point.
When you start showing this much emotion for all the other “numbers” then you can start talking.
June 15th, 2006 at 5:31 pmMighty AC-wannabe/Denny… You also talk in partical caps, constantly reference my atheism and again, use obscure words:
I wonder who the ‘proud aTHEist spinster’is ?
Comment by Denny — June 6, 2006 @ 4:27 am
http://thinkprogress.org/ 2006/ 06/ 05/ hastert-electricity-iraq/
June 15th, 2006 at 5:34 pmNumber-smumber.
June 15th, 2006 at 5:35 pmAnd here you admit to being a ‘he’:
Denny is a third person,he told you that a while back.
Now it seems that Denny attacked you first,but remember,Denny was created for you after you attacked another ‘person’without provocation
Comment by Denny — June 8, 2006 @ 12:38 pm
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/06/cei-antichrist/
June 15th, 2006 at 5:37 pmWe don’t stand a chance in Iraq. OH WAIT……. Did the libreal media mislead us once again on how it is going over there?
Let’s see what the head of Iraq’s Sercurity Ministry says,
http://apnews.myway.com/ article/ 20060615/ D8I8JAC80.html
He seems to think that not only are we winning, but most if not all Americans will be out of Iraq by the end of 2008 victorious.
Let’s see what Zarqawi and AL-QAEDA are thinking (written by Zarqawi no less)
http://www.breitbart.com/ news/ 2006/ 06/ 15/ D8I8LJBG0.html
WOW, Al-Qaeda even thinks they are losing. Weird how the Democrat media says Al-qaeda is winning. Strange
How is our Military doing:
http://hosted.ap.org/ dynamic/ stories/ I/ IRAQ_RAIDS?SITE=7219&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-06-15-08-25-20
WOW, not only did they kill or capture many terrorists, all these raids included Iraqi troops and many the Iraqi did by themselves. I thought the far left was saying that Iraq wasn’t standing up for itself and our military was running scared and had no plan.
What is going on!!!!
June 15th, 2006 at 5:55 pmG.I. Snow is a idiot
June 15th, 2006 at 6:17 pmSo #18 GSD, 3000 9/11 people who died are americans and 2500 troops are not? GW and the necon have not let us for get 9/11, but don’t speak about 2500 who have died in IRAQ.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:17 pmLuius,
the last report out of Iraq, mentioned that the insurgents account for something like 20% of the violence. The Iraqi’s themselves since they are often targets of the insurgents are not real happy with Al Qaeda, nor is the rest of the middle east, because of Al Qaeda’s penchent for blowing up civilians.
the insurgency may actually be in its “final throw”, however the secterian violence does not seem to have ebbed.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:22 pm#52 If what Liberals say hurt the troops, why are troops coming home and running for office as Democrats?
#56 What’s going on is another Vietnam, where we win every battle and chickenhawks brag about body counts. Meanwhile, Iraqis with the means are fleeing the country.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:30 pmIts a number alright. Of dead bodies.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:31 pm#42 Sudan was demanding too much for bin Laden and Clinton wasn’t going to trade arms like Reagan did with Iran. And it was Bush’s decision not to retaliate for the USS Cole. Condi Rice said so.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:32 pmIt’s just a number. It’s not like you’ll be seeing those coffins on TV.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:33 pmThere’s a growing likelihood that 2500 dead is not only, “just a number,” but that it’s a shockingly small number compared to the numbers of US dead that will result in a war with Iran.
he might as well be saying,
June 15th, 2006 at 6:54 pmUS DEAD2500
US SERIOUSLY WOUNDED 9989
AMPUTEES 1200+
Total US casuaties = 12489
http://icasualties.org/oif/
June 15th, 2006 at 7:11 pmAh,”it’s just a number”.
“Tony the pony, just pack your bags” gwb.
Is this for real? Must be.
June 15th, 2006 at 7:35 pmWhen is the populus to awaken? Is this never ending? Where’s the outcry? Hello????
My first gathering is this coming week and I can’t wait to see how quiet it is. I hope I get surprised with a colorful display of left wing arrogance. It would be a joy.
You incredicble A-Hole. Just a number? Just a number? You people are so incredibly stupid I can hardly comprehend it. Tony, you are just a number. Number 1 Asshole!
June 15th, 2006 at 7:50 pmgwb picked another real beauty to represent him. This man certainly must have enjoyed his day. He trashed a great American President and he rode roughshoud over our American Troops. “Tony’s doing a heck of a job!”
June 15th, 2006 at 8:31 pm2,500 Dead In Iraq…
Bush admin claims 2,500 death toll in Iraq War is just “a number”………
June 15th, 2006 at 8:31 pm[…] The death toll of American soldiers in Iraq has reached 2,500. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, when asked to comment on the number, responded “It’s just a number.“ He course followed that up with how much the President appreciated the soldiers work and how dedicated they are. So what do you think? Is 2,500 just a number? Do we want to go back to Vietnam era body counting? [link] […]
June 15th, 2006 at 9:05 pmRandy’s ignorance of history is blinding him.
June 15th, 2006 at 9:07 pmThe Cole occurred in the final days of Clinton’s presidency. They were not certain of who did it immediately. Clinton did not want to start an international incident just before the election, so he passed on the intel to W, who screwed up. Remember the mantra when W came into office - if Clinton said go right, they would go left. They were all so busy lying about glued computer keys and stupid non-existent pranks. Clinton said go after Al Qaeda; bin Laden is a terrorist - Bush said they wouldn’t be so foolish as to try to shoot a camel in the ass.
#56
Great post! I don’t know how much more good news the left can stand coming out of Iraq. Most of them must be peeing their pants right now. The problem is they are so filled with hatred for Bush that no matter what happens, they will be consider Iraq a defeat. That, my friend, is why the Republicans will gain several seats in the house and maintain the senate. I’m really suprised that there isn’t a post debunking Zarqawi’s documents.
June 15th, 2006 at 9:11 pm#71
I find it very hard to believe that Clinton would have made those comments. First, they are not true. Second, why on earth would he want to help the incoming President and don’t tell me because he’s a nice guy. Thirdly, Clinton is on tape turning down an offer to capture Bin Laden. He had more important “things” on his mind if you know what I mean. Geez.
http://dayton.craigslist.org/pol/170708487.html
June 15th, 2006 at 9:20 pmRandy, again, your ignorance is blinding you. Clinton made several failed attempts at bin Laden. W mocked him.
June 15th, 2006 at 9:58 pmW had several opportunities of unquestionable intel, with the target in the sights, but W is the one who said No. He did not want to distract from his determined path to Iraq.
Check your facts. There were at least TWO meetings with national security people passing information to the new admin. - all the info was ignored. Fact.
OK Tony,
I will go with “its a number”, when we can go with “its a word” in response to censorship.
June 15th, 2006 at 10:33 pmTop Sunni asked Bush for pullout timeline
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq’s vice president has asked President Bush for a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq, the Iraqi president’s office said.
Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, made the request during his meeting with Bush on Tuesday, when the U.S. president made a surprise visit to Iraq.
“I supported him in this,†President Jalal Talabani said in a statement released Wednesday. Al-Hashimi’s representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
Bush made it clear during his visit that the U.S. military presence - now at about 132,000 troops - would continue, though he stressed the fate of the Iraqis was in their own hands…………….BUT HE WAS ASKED TO MAKE A FREAKIN BOO TIMETABLE TO GET THE FREAKIN BOO OUT OF IRAQ
DID YOUR SENATE HAVE THESE DETAILS OR ARE THEY STILL HOPING FOR THE OIL CONTRACTS ???????????????????????????????????????
June 16th, 2006 at 5:20 amDoes anyone really expect anything other than indifference, apathy and false sentiment from this administration?
June 16th, 2006 at 6:27 amThe cold-hearted SOBs at 1600 PA…
First, George W. makes jokes about a blind reporter during a press conference about the WAR … that’s war, Mr. President … then his press secretary, the newly crowned King of Snark, Tony Snow, says the 2,500th death of a U.S. serviceman in Iraq is….
June 16th, 2006 at 8:08 am[…] Snow on 2,500 US Fatalities In Iraq: It sA Number Think Progress, DC - 16 hours ago… with the cabinet, and he sat down with the President and Vice President, he sat … in Iraq is a freestanding government that has been elected by the Iraqi people. … […]
June 16th, 2006 at 8:09 amAnn Coulter was right…. Godless seems to fit the majority position here.
June 16th, 2006 at 12:39 pmSo when Hilary runs as your Democrat for President will you vote for her or not? She also doesn’t want a timeline in Iraq. I am troubled at this fact as both the Democrat and Republican with be agreeing on an issue that you all seem to disagree on. Honestly, what will you do in that situation?
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People on the right are morally bankrupt! They have no soul. The only thing they worship is power! They don’t care if Americans or Iraqis die as long as it helps them stay in power for years to come.
June 16th, 2006 at 5:42 pmNoozz for ya !
June 17th, 2006 at 4:39 am“Stock” up on TUMS within next couple months !!
4. No. 1 on the Billboard Charts — that’s where the Dixie Chicks have landed!
They can’t give away concert tickets.
Comment by I-RIGHT-Iâ€
Sure they can.
Just not in states where belt sizes match IQs.
They just moved more of their dates to countries like australia, where they can get a tan and sell out their stadiums.
Not a bad trade off, sydney versus Birmingham - I’ll go with Sydney.
Therein lies the problem.
June 17th, 2006 at 5:25 am“Do not fall into the easy trap of mourning the loss of US lives and asking out loud why are we there?” - Fox/Saudi News internal memo
June 17th, 2006 at 11:07 am[Snow added that the President “feels very deeply the responsibility for sending men and women into harm’s way, and feels very deeply the pain that the families feel.â€]
A lovely response in itself … compassion, concern, assumption of responsibility.
Now, why couldn’t that have been his message and leave it at that. But, no, he felt compelled to preface it with “it’s a number”. Another attempt to minimize the loss because our achievements in Iraq have just been so tremendous (sarcasm here), that it was worth the sacrifices of those “numbers”.
I am honestly trying to find some strategy or justification for that statement by a White House Press Secretary … really I am. For the life of me, I can’t come up with one other than to incite those who oppose the war. It seems the exchanges between this administration and the press tend to be adversarial, and I can’t figure out why. The press has so often “let them off the hook” that they should be pals by now.
June 17th, 2006 at 4:24 pmThe Bush administration wants a “free ride” since we’re already in Iraq. They, and their conservative sheep, would like everyone to move on and not hold them accountable for their dishonest, scheming, sinister manipulation of selective “facts” to wage a war. Bush himself said it will be up to a future president to decide when we will leave Iraq. So you see, by that time, it will be someone else’s problem, just as our growing deficit will. Someone else to clean up his mess.
He has given the wealthy tax breaks, and the wealth alone. Believe me, the rest of us benefited only MARGINALLY from any tax break. Americans know better how to spend their own money? Yeah, right, on things like food, rent, medicine…. Meanwhile, the wealthy can turn around and reinvest in the stock market that has already made them rich. How many average middle-class Americans do you suppose actully have something called a stock portfolio?
June 17th, 2006 at 6:09 pmIt’s a number. “Just” a number.
http://www.bgladd.com/Just_a_Number.jpg
June 17th, 2006 at 7:45 pm[…] Last week at a White House press briefing, Snow was asked for a reaction to the death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq reaching 2,500. Snow responded: “It’s a number.†[…]
June 18th, 2006 at 10:14 amAnn Coulter was right…. Godless seems to fit the majority position here.
Comment by robroy
June 18th, 2006 at 11:39 amIn Congress that is…
[…] When asked to comment about the milestone of 2500 US servicepeople having been killed in Iraq, Tony replied: “It’s a number“. […]
June 19th, 2006 at 6:16 am“…and one of the things the President has said is that these people will not die in vain.”
Notice the context and tense of Snow’s comment here. “These people” refers to the hallfull of living soldiers who’s cheering for the president got him misty-eyed; “will not die in vain” refers to Bush’s plans for these same currently living, breathing troops. Oh, there’re gonna die, just not in vain.
See “To Die for Germany: Heroes in the Nazi pantheon” by Jay W. Baird for a chilling portrait of another nationalist death-cult in action.
June 19th, 2006 at 8:02 amNow Bush has his press ‘agent’ making political speeches for him, Bush will hide behind anyone it seems. As long as he isn’t on the front lines, (oh, I forgot, he did put in some time in the reserves ) not having to face the reality of this world and it’s people’s problems, he will be able to get away with anything he chooses. Snow is just another mouthpiece for this administration, and it is painfully obvious.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:50 amUntil the working class rise up, get rid of the Democrats and Republicans, whom both serve corporate America and the rich, then we will continue to be used as cannon fodder.
June 21st, 2006 at 3:45 pmDon’t believe ruling class ideology, America!
Firebomb recruiting offices! Quit paying taxes!
Anarchy can bring the system down!
Only then will you stop your children from being used as bullet-catchers for the rich.
Total # of infant deaths annually due to malnutrition…55.000,000…thats just a number you bunch of hypocrites…have another steak!
June 21st, 2006 at 11:01 pmIf the media set the standard in the Carter administration by counting the number of days for the hostages in Iran, then the ‘bodies for Bush count’ is fair. Imagine if Cronkite did Bush’s body count every night.
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:56 amI am curious how many Chicken Hawks - you know those old fat cats who never served and never would - there are who are running our country and voted for this unnecessary war. That would be an interesting “number”. Oh, and I believe only one has a child in the service, which means there are how many children of Chicken Hawks who are not serving now? Start with the Bush twins, that’s 2, and then…….
June 22nd, 2006 at 12:23 pmActually, yeah, it makes perfect sense for the American people to want something when the death toll rises another 500 American lives. We want an end. We want out. The rate of dead in Iraq is rising faster the longer we stay there, and the Iraqis have made it clear that they want us out. We now know there’s no WMDs, nor were there ever, and there is also no connection to Afghanistan or Al Quaeda, so really, what’s the point? And furthermore, it’s not just a NUMBER, it’s people’s brothers and sisters and sons and daughters. There is seriously something wrong with this administration and the way they opperate. They can’t even mask their terror tactics with good press now. It’s like they’re spiraling out of control, and it just keeps getting worse every day. Bush really needs to go already.
June 27th, 2006 at 11:57 amYou people are idiots…
It’s the mainstream press and the Democrats that celebrate everytime the death toll passes a ‘500′ benchmark…
Now, the press and the democrats can’t wait until 3,000 are dead, because they think it will help them politically.
Watch the reaction of the press and the democrats when we reach 3,000… talk about a celebration… in fact, they’re hoping it will happen about a week before the next election.
Prepare to be crushed again this November, losers!
July 3rd, 2006 at 5:32 pm[…] in war are “just a number.” [ Permanent Link | ‘); | ‘); | Technorati Links | del.icio.us ] The Great Society © 2005-2006 TGS was created using the Firefox web browser and may not beviewed as cleanly in others. Get a free website from Blogsome. Theme was originally designed by Lee Penney and has since been customized. Staff Matt Executive Editor Seamus Contributor Projects Expose the Right Untitled War Profiteering Series TGS Extras Favorite Quotes iTunes Music Trends Recommended Books Monthly Archives […]
July 14th, 2006 at 8:06 pm[…] Then I thought about White House Press Secretary Tony Snow’s answer to a White House Press Corps question regarding the 2,500 killed plateau. “It’s a number,” he said. […]
September 27th, 2006 at 4:27 am[…] It was only June of this year when Tony Snow blithely commented on behalf of the White House, upon the news that the 2500th American troop had been killed in Iraq, “It’s a number.” […]
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