Subject : More senseless deaths: US attack 'kills Iraqi children' By James Shaw, BBC News, Baghdad; An attack by a US helicopter against suspected insurgents in Iraq has killed a number of children at a primary school, Iraqi security sources say. The attack took place in Diyala province north-east of Baghdad, the sources say. A spokesman for the US military said there had been helicopter activity in the area but he was not able to confirm any other details. The school is in the village of al-Nedawat close to the Iranian border. The officer said police had spoken to eyewitnesses and that six children had been killed and six injured but the figures have not been independently confirmed. A spokesman for the US forces in Iraq, Lt-Col Chris Garver, said the US tried to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, which was why it was taking the reports seriously and conducting an investigation. There has been an escalation of violence in Diyala in recent weeks. On Sunday, a convoy of US armoured vehicles was hit by a bomb which killed six soldiers and a Russian journalist who was travelling with them.

RESPONSE: In the beginning the call was for a troop level of 300,000 to govern Iraq after the fall of Baghdad...but that was blown off by the Bush administration. The 'surge' pushes the troop level to less than 20,000 and the hatred of America as a result of 'collateral damage' is ten times what it was after the initial seeming victory.

Reed is right, the war is 'lost.' Yet we still have Republicans talking about victory and stating that we lost in Vietnam because we were unwilling to 'stay the course.' So another 50,000 deaths are clearly acceptable to today's Republicans...of course that was not enough deaths to win in Vietnam. So maybe 100,000 more American deaths are acceptable to today's Republican leadership. Again, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group whose report was to pull out and talk to Syria and Iran and let the international community attempt to limit the bloodshed is being ignored by the Bush team and Republicans running for President next year. And, yes, they are all calling for more tax cuts for the super rich and more flag draped coffins.

Better to protect American borders than to bring 'democracy' to places that so clearly have not interest in such concepts. The purple fingers of the Iraqi vote was not about a desire for democracy but rather a desire that the majority religious group control the country so it can oppress the minority religious group...sort how Hitler came to power in Germany...first elected and then an oppressive dictatorship.