4,000 Dead Soldiers in Iraq: Does Anyone Care?

The U.S military has announced that 4,000 soldiers have died in the Iraq War. This death toll is the accumulation of soldiers who have died in the war over the past 5 years. Which is more astonishing or jaw dropping to you: the fact that the United States has been in Iraq fighting a pointless war for the last 5 years or that 4,000 soldiers have died in the war? There isn't a wrong answer choice here.

The fact of the matter is that the death toll has continued to rise each day and still the issue of the Iraq War isn't even the number one issue anymore. Arizona Senator John McCain who is the Republican Party nominee, has already stated that he plans on keeping troops in Iraq for at least another ten years which means at least another thousand American troop deaths unless there is a radical change of events. The surge of troops in Iraq led by General Patraus has had mixed reaction and while the Bush administration continues to claim that the surge has been working, the fact remains that American lives are being lost each day in Iraq.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have brought up the issue of the Iraq War many times before and both of their platforms maintain the position that they want to withdraw troops during their first year in office and have most of the troops home by the end of their first term in office. Still, the issue of the Iraq War has taken a backseat to the issue of race, specifically with Barack Obama who made a speech responding to remarks made by his pastor, Revered Wright. The issue of black theology is one that has captivated the nation, with voters gaining more respect for Obama or less respect for the man based on the words of his speech and the words of his pastor. The issue has gripped the nation and will either by Obama's downfall or his rise to the Party nominee and the presidency. As it currently stands, the issue of race and his pastor's comments have negatively affected his campaign as his polling numbers on a national scale are below Hillary Clinton for the first time in months. In fact, some people who voted for Obama in the Democratic Primary have called up on talk radio shows and television shows, stating their remorse for voting for Obama because of this racial issue.

The issue of the Iraq War isn't likely to change in outlook either. The five year anniversary of the war witnessed huge turnouts in protesters and many people were arrested throughout the country in acts of disobedience.

Perhaps the biggest impact that the death toll of 4,000 Americans will have is that it will decrease the overall number of applicants for the armed forces. Americans are proud to serve their country and defend their country for a war and cause they believe in. Yet so many young Americans do not believe in the war and are against it. American troops are already spread thin in Afghanistan and Iraq and the United States military has little room for error.