Wanna see an unfortunate example of web retention?

Check out this April 2003 USA Today story with its fantastic past tense title "Why U.S. casualties were low." The story came out about a month after our invasion of Iraq. It contains some quotes that are retrospectively pretty damn funny in their own incredibly sad way:

"Operation Iraqi Freedom illustrates how the United States has forged an era that is closer to bloodless war for U.S. combat troops, at least than anyone could have imagined after the carnage in Vietnam."

"...by any measure, this war is the shining example of the low-casualty conflicts typical of the post-Vietnam War era." (I admit I have taken this one a bit out of the context of the surrounding paragraph)

And perhaps the best. Or the worst:

"Land mines, which killed 20 last time [1991's Gulf War], have not claimed any U.S. troops in this war."

Compare that last one with this recent Post story about the heavy toll taken by IEDs. Just reading that old USA Today story makes me embarrassed for them. That's definitely one they ought to take off the website.

And while on the subject of casualties, its probably worth noting that we not only reached, but roared past the so-called landmark of 2,000 deaths last month. Let's just hope 3,000, 3,731, 5,252, etc, etc is not on the horizon.