Back to Iraq again

While I was on vacation I sort of kept up with the news. One day seven soldiers were killed and it sounds like over the weekend at least 14 were killed and who know how many Iraq civilians.

There was also a story in USA Today of the strain all the wounded are putting on the medical facilities of the military:

"If we left Iraq tomorrow, we would have the legacy of all these people for many years to come," said Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and an adviser to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "The military simply wasn't prepared for its own success" at keeping severely wounded soldiers alive, he said.

And there continue to be stories, even after the events at Walter Reed, of soldiers having to do battle with the bureaucrats in the military and from the Veterans Administration to get the benefits they deserve. These soldiers are still at war only this time they are at war with their own government. Something is very very wrong with that.

Also in the news is the continue drum beat of September being the month to see how the surge is going. This is when the military will report to Congress. At first I thought this would make a difference that finally Congress most notably the Republicans will see the light that we need to get out of Iraq. Now I'm not so sure. I don't see how you can access the effectiveness of the surge until it is over. It seems to me you aren't going to be able to really tell if conditions have improved until the number of troops is reduced to the level of before the surge.

Then there also needs to the realization that if for some reason there is a decision to leave it will not happen over night. I've heard and read that it could take up to a year to get the troops and equipment out of Iraq. And that could be one long and bloody year.