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Originally posted by theolein: I have to agree here. (Goddammit Simey, I am far too much in agreement with you these days. Somethings wrong  )
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| What is interesting though is that I have read no estimates on Iraqi dead from official western sources in any news channel. I wonder whether this is to avoid the negative impact of the news on the opinions back home, or whether it is simply impossible to tell? |
I think its a little of both, but also because the Pentagon is very skittish about repeating the mistake of the Vietnam years by releasing estimates.
Of course, there is a twist. The MacNamara Pentagon was so warped they started measuring success by how many Viet Kong they cleaimed to have killed (i.e. the more the merrier). Today, the political pressure would probably be to report as low a figure as possible. But either way, I don't think they want to be caught making up numbers again. And since there is no way to be really certain on a fluid battlefield, I think they are just keeping quiet for now.