The overall U.S. death toll in Iraq rose to 4,000 after four soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, a grim milestone that is likely to fuel calls for the withdrawal of American forces as the war enters its sixth year.
The American deaths occurred Sunday, the same day rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad and a wave of attacks left at least 61 Iraqis dead nationwide.
Brandon Friedman at VoteVets thinks that the rate of troop loss, 25 in two weeks, is more significant than the 4000. He points to signs of a political unraveling in Iraq and writes of an email from a friend in the Green Zone who actually slept in his body armor.
As I have said before, the violence in Iraq is cyclical and will remain so until we remove the bulk of our forces. And with 25 dead in two weeks, we are not headed in the right direction.
It's time to take responsibility for ending this war. We can do it.
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