Lynn C. Woolsey: “the military announced yesterday that the number of monthly U.S. combat deaths fell to the lowest point in a year.…”

“the military announced yesterday that the number of monthly U.S. combat deaths fell to the lowest point in a year. Military and administration officials touted this as a success. Is this the way we're measuring success in Iraq these days? Sixty-four brave members of our military forces were killed in September. And that is a success? That is something to brag about? Tell that to the 64 families who will have to celebrate the holidays without their loved ones this year. Tell that to the children who lost a parent. Tell that to the mother who prayed every single day for the safe return of her child. That is not a success, Mr. Speaker. That is a tragic loss of life. We have lost over 3,800 brave men and women in uniform in the occupation of Iraq. At least 28,000 have been wounded. How many is too many before the administration sees the errors of its ways? I can't begin to guess. And what about the Iraqi families? Press reports indicate that nearly 1,000 Iraqis were killed during the month of September. Tens of thousands were displaced from their homes in September. Is this another success of the administration? Tell that to the children who can't go to school, to the hospitals trying to treat patients without a consistent supply of electricity, to the families who just want to live a normal life. The international community, the so-called coalition of the willing, sees the writing on the wall.…”