While estimates on the number of casualties during the invasion in Iraq vary widely, the majority of deaths and injuries have occurred after U.S. President Bush declared the end of "major combat operations" on May 1, 2003. According to , the U.S. government reported that 139 American military personnel were killed before May 1, 2003, while over 4,000 have been killed since 2003. Estimates on civilian casualties are more variable than those for military personnel. According to , a group that relies on Western press reports to measure civilian casualties, approximately 7,500 civilians were killed during the invasion phase, while more than 60,000 civilians have been killed as of April 2007. That was just the number of death reported, but the actual number of civilians killed has already gone over a million.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, and there is no such thing as a free war. The Iraq adventure has seriously weakened the U.S. economy, whose woes now go far beyond loose mortgage lending. You can't spend USD $3 trillion on your own, but yes, $3 trillion can be spent on a failed war abroad and not feel the pain at home. It’s more than the entire amount spent on the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. There are also disturbing signs that Mr. Bush is preparing an attack on Iran during his remaining months in office. He has demanded $46 billion emergency funds from Congress and included with it a single sentence requesting money to upgrade the B-2 "stealth" bomber. These unnecessary costs are just taking American economy into deeper depression.
In conclusion, I think the war has to end as soon as possible. The taxes citizens pay everyday are now being spent on war-related things. There are hundreds of people that are not implicated in terrorist acts being killed every single day. Why do these innocent soldiers have to die for Mr. Bush just because they were “luckily” drafted to fight, and why isn’t U.S. having a better economy after the taxes people pay. I think these are the real important things President Bush should be concerned with.
