Without having access to the article, I am not sure if those numbers are accurate, I do know from talking to those on the ground that the situation since the surge has improved but it is a fragile one.
Also, considering it is an insurgency, I wonder what the definition of a civilian is versus a fighter.
I think it is a believable number. In the VN war, I got very sick of the news continually telling about dead Americans and never mentioning dead Vien Namese. To me that just says that we do not care at all about the people we are supposed to be saving.
If one looks at the situation in the Vietnam war, they quit taking body counts of enemy dead by and large. The reasoning is not to glorify those deaths in a numbers of our dead versus thiers. I can somewhat understand the reasoning behind it.
As for caring about casualties, I think the far majority of Americans, especially service members do care. If it were up to me, the Iraqis would be living peacefully and enjoying the prosperity they deserve after decades of war and oppression caused by thier own leadership, despite having a very considerable amount of resource wealth within thier borders. Whose fault it is they dont have that situation is debatable and I dont have a simple answer to that issue.
On a side note:
What do women get? I have no use for 72 virgins.
I am a heterosexual man, and really have little desire for that many virgins.
