19 US soldiers killed in Iraq in the first week of August

I heard that Bush warned it would be a "tough month". I feel like he says things like that so that somehow we're...reassured? Like, oh well he said it would be tough...guess we can't complain. It wouldn't be so TOUGH if there weren't any SOLDIERS there.

Forget the moral issues in our leadership's silent support of or wet noodle protests against the war. Just looking at the war through a very cynical political prism, can someone explain to me why it's apparently still considered political kryponite to smear this all over the Bush administration's claim of supporting our troops? What constituency are they afraid of upsetting at this point? Granted my opinion probably deserves the SF discount, but from what it seems people are mad as hell and are just waiting for a leadership lightning rod to channel their outrage. And now I'm even madder.

It makes me cringe to think of the age of most of these soldiers - they are just kids for God's sake. I have always wondered how the same government officials can condone a so-called protective law such as the 21-year-old drinking age, and concurrently send teenagers to war. If only we had a financial strong arm like car insurance carriers to lobby for our young soldiers.