Eight hundred killed in Iraq as of Thursday. Meanwhile, John Ashcroft and Tom Ridge warn us that Al Qaeda is ready to strike in the U.S. They assured themselves, however, that the government will do everything it can to prevent a change of government resulting, as happened in Spain. That's a relief. But it might be hard to explain why 800 soldiers, more often now from National Guard units that shouldn't be overseas at all, have died fighting Iraqis. Where's Al Qaeda? Where's "homeland security"?
Of course, the capture -- or announcement of it -- right before the election would be an invigorating distraction, but the fact will remain that neither he nor any of his top leaders have ever been anywhere near Iraq. The family, friends, and neighbors of 800 soldiers (many more by then) will only wonder the more what their sacrifice was for.
