Editorial: 'Reverse domino' policy in Iraq, By Xiaoxiong Yi

Editorial: 'Reverse domino' policy in Iraq, By Xiaoxiong Yi

(EXCERPT) C O L U M N

Vietnam is an overwhelming metaphor in American foreign policy
dictionary with which no sitting president wants any association. For
some journalists and policy analysts, however, there are increasing
similarities between American presence in Iraq and the Vietnam mess.

U.S. forces in Iraq are encountering almost daily violence and death.
Between May 1, when President Bush declared that major combat was
over, and Nov. 10, 272 more U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq.
The number of U.S. combat deaths in the first Gulf war was 147. This
time, 386 American soldiers have died since the U.S. invaded Iraq on
March 19. The passing of that benchmark scotched the perception that
the U.S. had scored an easy victory.

The other unreported cost of the war is the number of wounded --
unofficial figures put the total in the thousands. Many of the wounded
have lost limbs. As early as in August, Lt. Col. Allen DeLane, in
charge of the airlift of wounded into Andrews Air Force Base, told
National Public Radio, "though I can't give you an exact number
because that's classified information, I can say to you over 4,000
have stayed here at Andrews, and that number doubles when you count
the people that come here to Andrews and then we send them to other
places." Between March 19 and Nov. 11, Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center has treated 7,714 soldiers. They arrive at Ramstein Air Force
Base, round the clock, at a rate of more than 30 a day.

Another reminder of the Vietnam debacle is the phrase "quagmire." As
Andrew Greeley of The Chicago Sun-Times warned, "the Bush
administration can continue the present strategy, at the cost of $1
billion a week, hoping that the U.S. can muddle through and that, as
was said in Vietnam, there seems to be...

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Associate Librarian
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