By the Balls

I recall a saying from the days of the Vietnam War, "If you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.

Congressman John Murtha stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy by saying that the U.S. troops in Iraq have become a "catalyst for violence". He called for the removal of these troops. His words prompted a furious outburst from Vice President Cheney and other administration apologists.

This tempest has erupted after support of the war among the public dropped and shortly after the attainment of the tragic mark of 2000 dead American servicemen and women. The count of 2000 dead does not reflect the uncounted deaths among allied troops and so-called contractors. These figures are dwarfed by the number or Iraqi deaths during the invasion (estimated by the Lancet at 98,000) or during the insurgency (unkown).

To punctuate Murtha's remarks, car bombs have killed 150 Iraqis in the past two days. The violence in Iraq is out of control. A year from now the number of American dead in Iraq will reach the 3000 mark. That will exceed the number of people killed on September 11. The Bush administration has no plan and no means for bringing this gruesome violence to an end.

Right now Al Qaida has America by the balls. Our hearts and minds are following.