CNN

Any time the American people are kept in the dark it is dangerous for America. We can largely blame our media if we do not have the information.

It’s at least as dangerous as voting for Bush 2X without learning anything and will lead to voting for Bush (aka Bush-Lite) 3X.

With the economy now the predominant issue in this campaign, Iraq is fading in the electorate's consciousness – bad news for McCain. It is sad that the nearly 4,000 troop already lost in this ill-planned war could be forgotten come election time. They are true American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation – not to mention the many more who suffered injuries and permanent disabilities.

The danger is this: Americans must not forget the U.S. losses and address the horrific state of how our veterans are being treated upon their return. Both Obama and Clinton should be specific on what they are going to do to rectify this situation.

As for the war in Iraq itself, we need an orderly exit and a renewed focus on fighting Al Qaeda where they really live – in Afganistan and Pakistan. We absolutely cannot forget the lessons of 9/11, but we must also be smarter and adjust our strategy to suit the realities of today.

My heart goes out to all the veterans and their families – their sacrifices must never be forgotten.

Well that's the beauty of government controlled censorship! The White House won't allow pictures of the Coffins coming home and the News Media won't report the War to keep it on everyones mind. In WWI and WWII we as a nation stopped life as usual until the job was done. But not under the Bush Administration! They want it strung out as long as possible so all their friends get rich off the blood of our troops. It's sickening, Jack!
The information age is feeding us the wrong information! It's extremely dangerous when we loose the heart and minds of our soldiers who are giving all for OIL!

Very important, the Bush administration like in the past wants to keep us in the dark about all this, the less we know the less likely we are to appose this war. We need to know exactly whats going on and people need to be held accountable.

It is terrifying to me Jack that most of the people I know have no idea that our military will suffer it's 4000th casualty in the very near future. The role of a free and functioning press is to provide the people with the facts they need to make important judgements. Somehow the two headed monster cheney/bush administration has corrupted the system. With help from the over fed, over paid talking right wing radio heads, any news, or photographs, or video that reflects poorly on this president or his policys has been decreed un-patriotic and un-american. Jack the only thing here that's un-american is censorship and deceit.

The danger of becomeing more dumbed down, and numb, is BLACK WATER, may end up working here as an extended police force, and more loss of life and treasure!

This is something that I have not understood, Jack. However, it is Wolf and your fault for the continuation of this illegal war. If you would, and should have, shown this war in it's reality with the blood and guts and people being shot and bombed, this war would have ended a long time ago. This is what brought the Vietnam war to an end. You do not even show the flagged draped bodies of our dead brave troops coming home. It is you and the rest of the media that is responsible for the continuation and I want you and Wolf to go home tonight and think about that in your sleep. You people have not told the truth, shown the truth, and made a deal with the devil. Same on all of you!

This is something that I have not understood, Jack. However, it is Wolf and your fault for the continuation of this illegal war. If you would, and should have, shown this war in it’s reality with the blood and guts and people being shot and bombed, this war would have ended a long time ago. This is what brought the Vietnam war to an end. You do not even show the flagged draped bodies of our dead brave troops coming home. It is you and the rest of the media that is responsible for the continuation and I want you and Wolf to go home tonight and think about that in your sleep. You people have not told the truth, shown the truth, and made a deal with the devil. Shame on all of you!
jim, Prescott, MI

Jack, as an American I am aware that 3993 & counting Americans have died in Iraq. I as an American am aware that 100,000 Iraqis are dead. I as an American am aware that over 40,000 American are injured,(some beyond healing). I as an American am aware that of the 100,000 contract workers some 300 to 400 of those have been died. I as an American am aware that 1,000 American personell have died in Afghanistan. So Jack, DO NOT UNDER ESTIMATE WHAT I AS AN AMERICAN AM AWARE OF.
Patricia
Palmdale, Ca.

Call me cynical, but why should they care? Less than 1% of Americans are actually doing the fighting. Sure, we don't pay them enough and we don't take care of them when they come home, but remember Jack, they volunteered for it and besides, the President thinks it's romantic.

Ed Reed
Disgusted in Texas

It is horribly dangerous for the American public to lose track of U.S. losses in Iraq. Those forgotten losses are our comrades in arms, our siblings, our children, our parents. We've somehow allowed the Bush administration to reduce the faces of our troops to numbers on a chart. In allowing that loss of awareness, we've broken faith with out men and women in our armed forces and allowed them to become the pawns of lobbyists and oil barons instead of soldiers, sailors, and airmen fighting for national security and purpose. One more crime to lay at the feet of the Bush administration appointees who were too busy to serve when it was their turn.

Two events are about to hapen which will realert Americans to the Iraq War. The 4000th soldier will die and gasoline will hit $4 per gallon. Diesel fuel is already there. Most Americans who were behind the invasion thought it would secure our oil supply.
Instead 200,000 Iraqis are dead and 4 million are displaced. And even with 400,000 armed warriors in a country 2/3 the size of Texas there are still over 200 citizens murdered every week. I hope Americans don't lose sight of this.

Yeah, well Jack, we were very aware of the imminent extreme danger to our national sovereignty caused by the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq prior to 2003. All of those Al Qaeda terrists there in Iraqia, all of them there weapons of mass destruction, all of them there threats. We went to war because of them there lies, my friends.

How can we ever know anything with this bush machine? Like all other lies by the bush administration the claims of victory and the claims of success are the real danger to us.

The real question is why the media covers Britney, Lindsay and O.J. rather than what is happening in Iraq. I follow the news closely and sometimes days will go by and there is nary a peep about the war. A paranoid person might wonder if the heavy handed Bush administration has threatened you folks with waterboarding if you report on our dead and injured soldiers. (By the way, all it would take to end the war is a montage of photos showing what we've done to Iraqi children. Hint, hint.)

Just like Viet Nam, Jack. The American people have more pressing needs than what is going on in Iraq. We are drowning in a sea of debt and our government don't give a rat's behind. Our bridges and roads are falling apart. Our health costs are rising. The gas is outrageous. The everyday cost of living is soaring and sad as it is we just don't care about the Iraqi people.

It's a terrible sign of complacency. Losses in Iraq should be the minimum concern of every US citizen. Anyone who is indifferent to that is probably also indifferent to the use of Blackwater contractors, no-bid contracts to Halliburton, or the failure of the Bush administration to push through a political resolution.

what are your sources David in Raleigh, NC ? I am searching and cannot find this fact antwhere. Is this just nmore republican propaganda?

We become complacent and apathetic like we do with everything. We stop caring. That's detrimental to the soldiers lives, the Iraqi's lives and our standing in the world when American citizens look the other way.

Brett Milam
Cincinnati, Ohio

The danger is that great romantic George Bush isn't aware of them. I know he doesn't believe in the Constitution, checks and balances, the rule of law, but does he still qualify as an American?

How aware of the Iraq war losses are Americans right now? Here, in a socalled democracy, we have an illegitimately elected 'president' who has lied us into a completely unnecessary and totally disastrous war, and what have Americans done about it?? In 2004 they gave GWB enough votes for him to squeak by in the Electoral College, and this year they will likely elect McCain, who wants to keep this war going for another hundred years!

So, what difference will it make if they become "less aware" of Iraq losses? This is one reason that Europeans think we have LOST IT!!

I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity. Every gun that is fired, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from this nation. A nation in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. Something Americans need not know, nor care to know. It is dangerous and the most dangerous thing about the war is the illusion created by those who control it.

I lost my husband in Nam so I know war is no picnic. I am proud of our troops and that they were able to free the Iraq people from a terrible dictator. We are doing a great job over there but that goes under mentioned in leu of bashing Bush. We blame the poor economy on the war but never a mention of the billions spent on the illegal aliens for their schooling, medical,social-service,and incarceration costs just to mention a few. We know that is not a good political stand for our renouned candidates. Let's be truthful, if an illegal has the job, a citizen does not. The war is not the only drag. But we will all pay more taxes when we get our Democrate in the White House. Just think how the economy will hurt then when the poor middle class will shell out even more of their hard earned dollars in taxes!!!

Jack, Really?

What difference does it make what we know? As long as we have Bush or McBush we WILL be at war, and our brave men and women WILL be killed.

Our leadership WILL tell us everything is great and that we WILL achieve victory. We will wave our flags and pledge alliegence blindly because thats what good Americans do. Right, Jack?

Lets face it, this administration WILL NOT level with us. Dems, let's get ourselves together and start the long and hard process of ending this thing.

It's not dangerous at all. Americans are finally getting worried about things that directly affect them, like the economy. The media tends to make the war a bigger deal than it really is; our losses in this war are only a fraction of those of previous wars. And Americans know that there is no way we can lose.

Forgetting the exact number of U.S. troop deaths since March 2003 isn't what's dangerous. What is dangerous is that the Bush administration has done everything possible to convince the public that war has progressed better than it really has. Ignorance breeds apathy, and those who forget history (or worse, falsify it) are doomed to repeat it.

Jack, it is difficult to understand how we can ignore our losses in Iraq, the way the media keeps reminding of us of our losses, but my greatest fear is that more will admit the "surge" is working and that McCain is right that we should remain in Iraq. This, combined with the infighting among Democrats and the charges against Obama in particular, and even with our economic woes blamed on Bush, may make the Democrats a less popular alternative to the GOP. The result will be that McCain becomes more electable and his party becomes more popular in November's election.

Part of the strategy in Iraq was to create as much disruption of the economic and social fabric as possible with the knowledge that a society in shambles with no unified central government will be unable to oppose the takeover of Iraq's oil riches.
Similarly, the coming economic hardships in this country created by rampant government borrowing, double digit inflation, a faultering dollar, and sky high energy prices will keep us all busy just trying to survive.
When we are all preoccupied in a struggle just to make ends meet, there will be noone willing to expend any effort on dissent.
We have lost the battle. They, the oil mongers, will do as they please.

Sorry Jack, I blame the media for this. The Iraq war was forefront for so long, and then just dropped off once these primaries started.

You guys (and not just CNN) have been so busy concentrating on every move these candidates make, every word they say is dissected and analyzed ad nauseum, along with any word uttered by a person connected with either campaign. (aids, Ferraro, Rev Wright, sheesh!)
Enough already!

I'm sure the families of our fallen and injured soldiers really appreciate this type of coverage. It's like they've been forgotten! I truly believe the press may have put them in the background, but the American people have not. It's a vicious cycle Jack, the war, the cost, the deficit due to the cost, the economy, the shrinking dollar. Yeah, we're in fine shape now, aren't we.

I say yes it is very important. We can not forget those who have died and who will die for bush and cheney's blood money.

Loss of awareness is a double-edged sword:

Interagency personnel (i.e. State Dept, DOD, etc) involved in Iraq might be tempted to take certain risks that they normally wouldn't take knowing that America and the World is or is not watching and the added risks could be harmful to America's image and/or cost additional U.S. lives.

However these same Interagency leaders might find that they are better able to influence the situation in Iraq knowing that America and/or the World is not watching.

Knowing how many US soldiers, or diplomats losses is not dangerous for the American people, what is dangerous is not known if the Iraqi government is doing anything. Because if the Iraqi government is failing to act like a government then the occupation of Iraqi will last until the realize that the Iraqi will never lead themselves and have to change the manner in which the government is run.

Howard
Joshua Tree, Ca

Jack, what kind of question is that?
How can anyone not realize the extent of American losses in Iraq? So many of our soldiers have been killed, thousands have been maimed, and close to $600 billion down the drain.
The man that sent them there still has feet to be dancing (with no music) while waiting to meet McCain. As a payback for his work, he should not be given any pension. And no secret service after he leaves office, please.

No responsible American can ignore the fact of lives being lost in the name of liberty. If nothing else, the United States of America is still considered the world leader in democracy and freedom by the rest of the world, if not by some of her own.
I cannot see a time when the news media will let us forget the sacrifices that the military men and women are making for this country and its belief in a free world.
On the other hand, we need to consider all issues that help to keep this homeland secure. We cannot go into a Presidential election without careful scrutiny of how any potential C-I-C will be striving to keep us secure militarily, economically and with fiscal responsibility. We need to see the whole picture.

Jack I'm really hopeing those apes move from the white house immediately to Iraq they'll be welcomed with open arms and given flowers for their well being by the Iraqi people, I hope to catch it on CNN, I haven't seen any funerals and when the Bush candle burns out I will not watch it either.

Extremely dangerous. With this administration the old saying"When the cats away.." applies perfectly. I believe all TV networks should announce the war status at the end of each news broadcast .Newspapers can follow suit. At the top of the front page they should put in boldface letters WAR STATUS. I know thatNancy Grace tells the status and has an American Hero each ending of her show. Put it right out there in the face of the American people and hold George W. Bush&Co. accountable for this tragedy.

I blame Bush and Cheney. They don't care about the American people much less care about the people in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. During one of the year 2000 debates, Bush made it clear he'd go back into Iraq and finish the job. The media overlooked his remarks. Then Bush took office, ignored the warnings about Al Qaeda, and took advantage of the situation to make himself and his friends richer. Halliburton will be in Iraq for decades. Bush will guarantee it with an executive signing order and pardon everyone including himself right after he starts bombing Iran. And what will Congress do? Nothing as usual. What should it do? Impeach Bush and Cheney and try them for war crimes and profiteering.

I would like to direct this answer to the person who said that the American people have lost the stomach for war. You may for a good number of people, but the largest part have lost another part of their anatomy. They need to BRASS up, and do their duty. It must be nice to have someone else do your fighting for you, and all you have to do is say thank you. They deserve a lot more than that, and they deserve to know that all AMERICANS will do their part to protect our nation from our enemies. So for those who look at it as a stomach problem, take another look, it could just be a fear problem.

It's very dangerous, Jack, because it means many Americans could be hoodwinked into electing McBush, and that is simply more of the same – Regardless of what Johnny McBush says.

NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People, pay attention to this illegal invasion. It isn't over.

It's a bit late to be worrying about deaths in Iraq. That should have been done before the war. Besides the president isn't a bit concerned about the war , and it's consequence. That should give us all comfort.

Then the crooked politicians capitalizing on this war can get away with whatever they want as long as they keep on telling the American people they're keeping us safe from Al Qaeda AkA the boogie man. Almost 7 years since 9-11-2001 and Osama bin Laden is still making videos,the Patriot Act is spying on americans, and our ports and borders are still not secure. Homeland Security is nothing but job security for some special interest groups and defense shareholders. If Lou Dobbs decides to run for prez Jack maybe he'll consider you as his running mate.

Jack,
What's the danger, it's simple. If American's are not paying attention to the war then they don't understand the actual problem with the economy. We're facing a recession or a possible depression and with 500 Billion dollars being spent in another country, some of which has just dissapeared, we can't afford to fix our own country and then we turn around and borrow more money from China putting us further in debt. If American's aren't paying attention to Iraq then the Straight Talk Express has a better chance at convincing this country that everything is getting better even though nothing has really changed and that could be McCain's ticket to the White House. To summarize, if the war is not on the tip of every American's tounge than we're all screwed, because that's where the money's going.

Jack: I know that you can't post every response that is forwarded to you on the Cafferty file, however, Dave from Brooklyn and Mike Smith from New Orleans comments are always appearing in each of the three segments of your questions. If you are going to be something else, at least be "fair and balance".........like FOX NEWS.

If we would have a draft, and everyone would serve, then Americans would soon take an interest. If the news channels would show the country what 4000 caskets looks like. If you all would cover the Winter Soldier hearings an interest would be taken. This government likes to keep people in the dark, that is how they continue to break the law.Jack I respect that you are truthful, because you are the only one it seems on CNN to be fair and balanced. Wolf seems to be afraid of his corporate masters. Joan North Carolina

I dont think it matters much one way or the other. I have two sons in the military and my wife worries about them most every day. That affects me more than anything. I have served in Vietnam and remember that casualities in the war were posted daily. Both of my sons have choosen to be there, they think its important. I have tried to make sure than they are aware of the horrors of war. I have never forgotten thoughout my life. I reminded them that the American people will probably turn on them too. Thats what matters most, you have to do what is right for you. That is the American way.

It is very dangerous, and not just because of the actual number. We are used to being lied to about body counts, but this war seems to be coming to us through a government filter. Most of what we hear is partisan slanted comments from whatever politician has just visited, When McCain or someone else says "the surge is working", how do we know what that means? There is no ground aquisition or troop surrender that we can relate to as in prior wars. We still dont even know why we are there? Who are we at war with? Who did we liberate?The administration has succeeded in obscuring all the details. We are at war, support the troops, stay the course, dont surrender to the terrorists. Be a patriot and vote for us.

Jack, I spent a year in Vietnam and when I went to Washington and saw all the names on the wall it brought tears to my eyes to see all of the lives lost for what? It will be 40 years next year since I served in Vietnam. In another 40 years what will we be saying about the lives lost in Iraq and will we remember why we went there in the first place?

Robert
Forest, VA

Jack are you suggesting the death tolls be kept from the very nation who's lost the men and woman and their offspring to a power crazed president.
please hold on....Joe Stallin on line two. "Get the picture"

Tom/Oswego ,NY

Jack
The media lets the American people know whats going on all the time Its up to the media to keep the people informed on in Iraq. How can anyone lose sight of this war? We are losing lives everyday.

Jack,

It is not your fault, it is not Wolf's fault. It is the fault of every unaware American. Most have this past year been bombarded with their own personal losses. Loss of their jobs, homes, savings, stock investments, retirement savings, health benefits and self respect because they are no longer able to provide for themselves or those that depend upon them for support. With the cost of all basic necessiteis of life sky rocketing throught the roof, they have focused their attention away from the war to their own personal survival. We can not fault them for that. However I think there are more people aware of what is happening in Iraq than your pole shows, and I think maybe the media can help bring that back to our attention these next few weeks by maybe doing a start to finish run down year by year of our goals verses progress. I have heard reported that the actual cost over all costs is nearly 1 trillion. It will be a shock to most to fully realize the extended cost in life and medical health maintenace of those that did serve and are now either crippled for life and able to move about as well as those that will remain comfined to a bed for the rest of their lives (that includes military and civilian). What about the extended costs in Social Security benefits, life insurance benefits, and over all care of the children and spouses of those that have fallen? The numbers are astounding and mind blowing when you think about it.

To "DO NOT UNDER ESTIMATE WHAT I AS AN AMERICAN AM AWARE OF." -Patricia, Palmdale, Ca.

SO what the hell are you doing about it ?!

Jack,
On this 5th anniversary of the Iraq war, I am in "SHOCK" of the blood and treasure squandered away and yes, I am in "AWE" of the utter stupidity and callousness shown by this Prez and the 30% of the people who support him!
My only question at this point is, WHY is this man still our "leader" ?!!

Jack,
I think it's very dangerous. The war in Iraq and the war on terror could easily turn into a world war if too many other countries started taking sides militarily. I know Russia don't like us being there and I am sure the whole middle east doesn't want us there either. So yea we need to pay close attention to what's happening over there.
Eric, Johnson City,TN

I support our troops, I have faith in our troops, and God bless America Courtesy of the red, white, and blue. That's all I have to say Jack.
Dan
Goodyear, Arizona

Jack

As a lot of your Blogs are saying some of the fault for not reporting
on the Iraq war losses stem from the media's "Late Breaking News"
of Brittney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, Drew Peterson, and other
slime stories.
I know Fox News is in Bush's hip pocket but I thought CNN would
take a higher road.
Jack, start a new Blog to honor our fallen comrades.

Jerry
Roselle, Illinois

It's not dangerous if people don't know how many people have been killed in Iraq. I don't blame them for not wanting to keep up with the war, it's depressing. But you only talk about the American soldiers deaths and injuries. What about the 100,000s of innocent people who have died or been injured? Are they not important because they aren't American citizens? This is called arrogance and is why so many in the world hate us.

On your netork, 5 years ago, you conducted a poll, where 70% or more of the american people were in favor of invading Iraq.

How many people support the war now??

That difference in percentage represent the people that epitomize many things that are wrong in our country, chief of which is no accountability for one's actions.

I think that any future endeavors such as Iraq be placed in the same category as WWII. If it is moral and just, then we should make the same commitments as made by that generation. Draft, rationing of all types, sacrifices of both blood AND sweat from every american.

Why don't you do a poll on how many people think it would be appropriate to have a draft, or gas rationing, etc. to win the war in Iraq.

There is where you will find the correct answer for how many people truly care about Iraq. Apply that same philosophy to any of the world's hotspots.

As long as somebody else is paying the price, a significant portion of americans don't really care. It's sad.

Harry
Kentucky

It is very dangerous if Americans are not as aware of losses in Iraq. Americans have been tuning out as of late on Iraq from fatigue of not having any means of stopping this ridiculous war we never should have engaged in. Maybe the media should stop repeating videos of Rev Wright and spend a bit more time reminding Americans of what is going on in Iraq less we forget and end up repeating this grave mistake by voting the wrong way in November 08.

There's a reason this is called the "unfelt war." If we were actually aware of the total effect this war is going to have on its people, we'd start seeing some hippies or something. I can't remember the last substantial peace protest I've read about.

Its VERY dangerous Jack. But the fact remains that the American people have been beat down, sold out, slapped around for so long, that we bow down to the idea that anything will change! Politicians care more about their own profits/perks than the American people anymore! Regardless of who's elected in November, nothing will change this country, or the direction its going in. Mark my words Jack, 4-5 years from now, this country will have the same problems, and be controlled by the same two parties in Washington! And yet, the American people hasnt figured out that the two parties are killing this country! Or they have figured it out and refuse to do anything about it, so they turn their attention to Hollywood, Britney, Paris, and all those other idiots for their dose of news!

Jack it's not "dangerous" for us here at home.

Just terribly sad.

Len in Washington

Ask any person of Jewish descent and he/she will know the answer. NEVER FORGET ....

Very dangerous, because this kind of apathy is what lets jerks like Bush start wars in the first place. He knew full well that the American attention span, combined with the fact that it was "other people's kids" dying, would let him destroy Iraq without much consquence. And he knows he can bomb Iran before he leaves office, because American Idol is on, and no one will notice.

I think it is very sad that we refer to the number of U.S. troops lost. These are People, they have names, they come home in a flag covered coffins. Every time a person comes 'home' in this manner it should be televised, with their name, picture and footage of that coffin coming off the plane or helicopter or whatever. Maybe if they weren't numbers it Would Matter.

Heather,
Elko Nevada

Americans not paying attention to the United States AND Iraq's loses is as critical as the chest pounding bravado of those that want to continue on in the same. Both of those that do the chest pounding and those that aren't paying attention have one thing in common.......
they aren't at all involved in the war other than a half baked opinion shot from the hip. It's time we do something about the United States unpatriotic support of the war and that is to re-establish the draft.
That would silence the chest pounders and wake up those that haven't been paying attention. Bush knew what he was doing when he vowed NOT to re-establish the draft during the last term election. It's the only way he could carry on with the agenda of his plans and go full steam ahead. It was an unstopable plan of action.

Personally I'd like to see CNN or one of the major stations show the total loss of life every day. Do not separate it by country or gender just the total since this insanity started 5 years ago. Maybe this might make people mad enough to do something. How many people did Sadam kill and he was hung, who should be hung for this? Is an American life worth more than a kid in Iraq and what about the people that are home and their lives are destroyed. Also show the number of injured and will never be able to work or play or do anything again. Are you people that voted for this proud of yourself?

It's extremely dangerous, Jack, and just goes to show where people's heads are. Bet these folks know the latest Hollywood gossip. Our priorities are skewered, our attention spans comparable to puppies, and our fearless leader says it's ok, so we just buy it without question. I want to know who's behind the campaign to turn our brains to mush, and why.

doesn't matter; he is the decider and that's that; jack! over 7 years now everyone knows not to talk back to king george and queen dyck!

Jack, how is it possible that Americans don't know of the almost 4,000 deaths? Must say something for CNN (clinton News Network) and thd rive-by media's popularity Huh? You folks report this many time each hour, but when the surge worked, you only give it a simple anouncment one time and then keep it and all the good things that happen in Iraq silent!

You folks are dispicable!!!!!

Jack,

Its totally sad to read about the number of soldiers who have lost their lives in this unwarranted war in Iraq. My heart goes out to all the families that have experienced these losses. It is really a precarious situation that the American people are less aware of the American losses in Iraq. $500 billion have been sunk into the war where back home, myriads are loosing their homes and barely getting by due to the economic recession. I think is time for the American people to wake up to the realities of these losses. Thanks Jack for making America aware of these losses once more. Let me also add that all that voted for this war made a wrong judgment – the losses are just too much to bear. That is why America needs a President with the best judgment. Change is what we need. Yes we can.

I believe we're aware of the daily carnage in Iraq – how can we not be? It's just that people are distracted by eating, driving, health needs and paying their bills. We are not unmindful of, nor ungrateful for, our troops' sacrifices – we're just getting numb. Troops call it combat fatigue – for the average Amerrican, it's simply the stress of following along after stupidity.

Let's see,most Americans have absolutely no clue where Iraq and Afghanistan are on a map,People don't read newspapers or newsmagazines,high schools and colleges don't teach current events,Britney,Paris and Lindsey are more important than anything else and our government operates in secret. You know,Jack,ignorance is bliss!

Very dangerous. Jefferson advocated public education, and later founded the University of Virginia, because he believed an informed citizenry was necessary if our government was to remain free of tyranny. He argued the future of our republic must reside with the public and not in some exalted position or person who does our thinking for us. Jefferson also warned us about foreign entanglements. Today, our government continues to classify documents – including recent presidential papers.
Bill Clinton did declassify many documents, but not nearly enough. I regret the American public is denied the necessary information to make informed decisions crucial to our democratic form of government.

Ominous unless you enjoy repeating and reliving historical disasters.

Jack,people are also unaware of the progress being made in Iraq,of course the bleeding heart liberal drive by media,would not want to give a rightwinger credit for being right(John MCcain).If the surge had failed we would have heard about that 24/7!

Many Americans who follow such things are aware that we are nearing 4000 Americans killed in Iraq in the last five years. A terrible figure to be sure but few are aware of the nearly 40,000 that have been wounded in action since March 19, 2003. And as saddening and atrocious as those numbers are they do not compare to the 80-90,000 Iraqi citizens who have been killed in the same timeframe. It is dangerous to be so complacent and selfish that not only are we are no longer worried about the devastating effects on our the families of the soldiers and our fractured economy but we have limited sympathy as a nation with the people we have supposedly become the liberators of.

Could we be any less aware than we are now?
Wake up America. Our best and brightest are dying for money.
How much has Haiberton made from this unnecessary war?
Matt
Charleston,SC

This information should be posted daily in the tickers along the bottom of all news channel screens and stated in the opening and closing moments of broadcast newscasts. I just realized CNN doesn't show it either. How sad that is. Of course they don't talk about such things at FOX News, so I doubt anyone over there has a clue what the number is anyway. Can somebody call Bill O'Reilly and get an "estimate"?

Being kept in the dark about wars is what American government has done best for decades. I truly believe there are a lot of bad things that go on in Iraq that we do not know about, including U.S. soldiers who died, and their families have not yet been notified.

It is extremely dangerous, and it says volumes about the apathy of the American people. If you don't know that almost 4,000 Americans have died in this insanity, then it means you have had your head in the sand for the last five years. Maybe it will take an invasion of this of our homeland by a country trying to control the coal market to wake our citizens up from their day dreams.

It is sad, but it is not the fault of the media. I blame Congress. We elected them to end this war. At the very least there should be speech after speech by our elected officials to inform the American people of the cost of this war....both the lives lost and the obvious effect on our economy. Lately they have tried to bail out the economy, without addressing the real cause...the war...sending more good taxpayer money after bad. The dollar is falling, oil is at record levels, there is no money for health care and good soldiers are dying...all because of the war...while our elected officials do nothing. Last I heard there were 3 branches of government, and they are all failing to do their jobs.

It doesn't make any difference. The people who don't know, don't care. How do you think we got in this mess, in the first place?

Here comes the "Draft ", now you can feel my pain? The Proud to be American Soldier needs all of his countries "Help"to shoulder his burden.

In viet nam the media was all over the war.
In Iraq Bush clamped down on the media so it was under wraps.
White House two step and the two dancing are making hay while the sun shines and our youth is being killed.

Canada has only 3000 troops in Afganastan and we lost 81 now. Thats a small number compared to you guys but remember you hav 150000 troops there. We know every time one of ours fall and show it on TV and welcome them home as fallen hero'e
God i'm sorry for all the fallen, why does there have to be war? did we not learn from past conflicts

If Americans are more aware, then it's more dangerous for George W. Bush... the less Americans are aware, then, well, you figure it out.

Considering most American are complete hypocrites on the issue of the military it means nothing.
Liberals and too many Democrats rail against the military every chance they get. Republicans and Conservatives claim to love and respect the military yet few send their sons and daughters to serve.

When did the military or military service become a bad thing in the US? The left wing nuts in Berkeley voted to throw out Marine Recruiters from their city. Move On's Add against Gen Petraeus was disgraceful.

Whether Dem or Republican, conservative or liberal this nation exist because brave men and women from all walks of life have served the nation from the days of the Revolution. It is disgraceful the way some Americans respond to and treat our military.
Less than 1% of the US Population serves in the military, what does that tell you?

As a Democrat the views from the left regarding the military are an embarrassment and a disgrace!!

the media is our defacto 4th branch of government – and necessary for checks and balances. So Media, Please pay attention to the war, and print /report on the war daily. We can't make informed decisions without knowledge. With the current administration being lax in providing truthful information about most everything, we must rely on the media. thank you

This is one of the main problem with American people when it comes to Iraq or any other foriegn policy. Politicians uses this igonorance of the people to their advantage. It is not only 4000 dead. There are tens of thousands more who's lives have been paralyzed due to injuries or trauma. Most Americans are ignorent by not paying attention to this. We are loosing so many lives, people. Wake up. I also think media should play a better role in this by keep reminding people how nasty this war is.

Nuwan from Houston, Texas

Jack, I don't know if you read this Blog of yours, but could you please add a spellchecker to it? It is embarrassing to read about someone's thoughts concerning the 'terrist' threat....no viewer left behind.

Jack, it is appalling that Americans are becoming less aware. I imagine this is because the economy is occupying their thoughts more, now, than the war- but no one can seriously doubt that the two matters are inextricably linked. Were it not for the financial morass into which this war has plunged our country (with no end in sight), the economy would likely be on far more stable footing.

People are focused on the economy and the democratic primaries. The losses of life and treasure in Iraq are on page 5.

It is sad and frightening, Jack. Not only are we 5 years into this mess, we are almost 5 years removed from "Mission Accomplished" and the American people aren't aware how many of our sons and daughters have died ?? No wonder so many believed that Saddam was responsible for 9/11...
Lance, Texas

Jack,
This is very dangerous...people need to know because the republican nominee wants to continue this war for another 100 years. A war that is costing the US millions and millions of dollars. The same money that can be used for health care, creating new jobs, fixing our bridges and roadways. Let's pray people see and comprehend all of this before the November election.

What is even sadder: add American civilians / contractor-personnel killed in Iraq to the almost 4,000 military members.

It's sad that the average American has paid little attention to this war and our losses. However they can most certainly tell you the latest gossip concerning Paris or Brittney, absolutely pathetic.

I find this article interesting. It is sad that people don't know but who are we blaming that on? Is it the individuals fault for reading the headline articles about the stock market, democrat race, gas prices and celebrity deaths, or is it the news agencies for making the headlines. I think it's probably a combination of the two.

The fact that Americans are so mis-informed about the war is a simple barometer of how effective the administration has been at hiding the truth as to what is going on over there.

With these numbers, the Washington right-wing group must be congratulating each other on the splendid job they have done on manipulating information.

As for the American public – it is guilty too for being gullible and consuming only the news that its government wishes to feed it.

Words are impossible to describe the poor judgement illustrated by our leaders in attacking Iraq, executing a poorly fought war and removing the rest of Americans from the process. The survey you disclose confirms that G.W. knows us well-we will follow his advise after 9/11 to go shopping at the Mall and drape ourselves in the flad.
What a tragic time for our our military, citzens and leadership!

Jack:

When our President gives tax cuts and asks us to go shopping when there is a war going, why should Americans be tuned to and be aware of this war? Only sacrifice asked of is from the soldiers and their families.

Americans' lack of knowledge about the war, it's human and economic costs, is appalling. For example, are Americans aware that the International Red Cross issued a report yesterday naming Iraq as the worst humanitarian disaster at this time? Not only the loss of American lives but the fact that thousands upon thousands of Iraqis are displaced, lacking water, lacking electricity, lacking medical care? Probably not, as the American media chose not to highlight that fact and instead have highlighted Bush's fantasies and lies.

respnse to DJ:
It's not the media that keep us in the dark, its our lack of attention. There are at least 3 news shows on each week which not only tell the total of people killed, but also name those that offically made it on the pentagon list.
Americans care more about Britney Spears than our country. That is almost as sad as these wasted lives to this war.

Very dangerous!! we must not forget the men & women killed in what is the biggest crime committed in this country 's histroy! The abuse of power by our President.

Patricia,

Obviously you are not that aware, over half a million Iraqi's have died; not 100,000.

And that's just the ones they've been able to name.

There are arguments that we should not think about how we got to Irak, but what we must do now for the future. If we do not understand what is going on now, we can't accurately determine what would be the best policy for the future. We do not learn any lessons. Many americans still do not want to hear about the reasons given for not liking anmerican policy, as it is all hate mongering on the part of people who are jealous and hate frredom (or americans lifestyle). This is a danger to the future of our country. An attempt to shield oneself personnally from political liability, especially when the political carreer is over, at the cost of a beneficial gain for the country to understand the nature of the difficult challenges we face as a nation in this "new kind of war" is dangerous, cowardly an blatently unpatriotic.

In reporting this story, please don't lose sight of the even less-recognized fact that more than 1,100 civilian contractor personnel have died in Iraq. In calendar year 2007, more than 1 of every 4 fatalities in Iraq (from the US perspective) was a contractor. Thus, the allied death toll is significantly higher than reported and contractors bear a far greater burden in this regard than the public appreciates.

It's disconcerting that the public does not grasp the level of the military's reliance upon contractors in the battle area. Few recognize that the troop-to-contractor ratio in Iraq is basicaly 1-to-1. As for deaths, the contractor fatality data cannot be obtained from the Defense Department, is available only through FOIA requests to the Labor Department (why isn't this information on the DoD or DoL web pages?), and, sadly, is rarely reported by the media (but kudos to the Houston Chronicle for leading the way). All of which explains why the public doesn't know and, frankly, doesn't seem to care.

In a representatitve democracy, public awareness of the human cost of our engagement abroad is critical. This issue is important, but I encourage you to be more inclusive in your reporting.

Best wishes

And they say that the media is liberal! A liberal media would be showing the thousands of body bags coming home and the many thousands of limbless veterans of this unholy, misguided war.

I can't say that Americans don't have the stomach for war, per se...just not the stomach for THIS war.

It is very dangerous if we're not aware. But that's the way this administration wants it. Are our dead still delivered to Dover, De upon
their reentry home? Why is the News Media no longer allowed to cover that?

what about the number of iraqis killed? Does anyone care about it? Most of them are innocent and had nothing to do with 9/11?

Jack,
The ameriaca public is kept in dark about the losses in Iraq in order to fatten the pockets of the"Oil crazed regime" known as Bush – Channey.I'm sure someone has already figured out what an acceptable loss is in Iraq which is easy to do if your son or daughter is not one of those brave 3991 deaths in Iraq.

It's horrible, Jack. The US continues to stick it's nose and our money and our soldiers into things that do not concern us. The ability of George Bush to continue defying the people and the Congress is really amazing. Get behind Clinton, the radical black candidate no longer has a prayer and we won't survive a Bush 3.

Jim,
Lexington, KY

What losses? There haven't been any losses, what are you talking about, Jack? According to Vice President Cheney in his recent interview, "There has, in fact, been fundamental change and transformation and improvement for the better. That’s a huge accomplishment." (By the way, aren't the phrases "fundamental change and transformation", and, "improvement for the better" redundancies?)

Wow, the only ones who can't run and hide from reality is the troops. I guess support the troops isn't sexy anymore. Short attention spans or is it more than that , I think it more than just people don't care they just never knew. This was the policy from the start if one thing was learned from Vietnam , flaged draped coffins bring reality and nobody ever wanted reality cold hard reality...Go Army..sorry Army wife

The less we pay attention the more that they government will attempt to sneak by. When you don't know that you have lost 4,000 fighting Americans who are defending your freedom it is sad!!

Jack,
The reasoning behind no photos of the flag draped caskets coming back to the U.S. is supposed to be to protect the family during their time of grief. If our government cared about protecting the families, they would not have sent our troops to Iraq at all!!

As for Americans not knowing the numbers, we as a society are noted by others worldwide for not questioning our government and its administration. Not only have Americans become desensitized to the war abroad, most have become desensitized to the war at home so it is politics as usual! What a sad state of affairs.

It's sad but it's to be expected. Think about it. How many people are willing to continue to focus on what is being reported. I don't remember the last time that I saw anything positive being reported from Iraq. That's not because there isn't anything positive happening though. My opinion is because it's not considered news worthy.

I would expect the nation to be focused on the current political campaigns. It's a shame Keith Ledgers death is registering above the war but then again it's probably a matter of people needing a diversion.

Personally I don't want to see anyone die from this or any war but THAT IS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM. We can't ever forget that!

Who cares? Any news on Lindsay Lohan?

As a high school history teacher, at a private academy, I can vouch for the fact that many of my students are not aware of the situation in Iraq because of the lack of media coverage afforded to the war. I recall as a youngster seeing and hearing plenty about the Vietnam War, and that was when we had only three T.V. stations seen via "rabbit ears", not the 250 or so cable stations available today

The Iraq War, which isn't even a Congress-approved war, is a fraud that has cost the New Post-9/11 Racist American Military Machine much much more than we have been told. All wars are sustained by lies and violence, however Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) includes unprecedented media involvement for which CNN and the other MSM corporate conglomerates need to be punished. Furthermore, the 9/11 'terrorist attack' has been proven to be a complete and utter fascist fraud. Jack, if you and others in this 'post-911 world' want to be spared when 9/11 truth hits the mainstream (and it will), I would suggest covering the controlled demolition of WTC 7. Until then, your words mean nothing.

During the Vietnam war they showed the soldiers caskets being unloaded from the planes as they returned to the U.S. It is my understanding that our government will no longer allow that to happen. Seeing those coffins unloaded brings people to the ugly realization of how bad war is. The government doesn't want that....

4000 dead compared to WWII is much lower, the difference is that WWII was actually a worth while cause. I am sick of hearing the comparisons. This war was completely avoidable and one of choice and pre-emption. Oh, by the way, this war has lasted longer than WWII and is costing the US economy to spiral downward. And for what? We could have used this money to build up our defenses against any terrorist attack, so don't tell me we are safer from the big, bad, scary terrorists. You are a fool if you believe that one.

P.S. Previous post from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sorry to have left it out!

Americans may not be aware of what is going on in Iraq, but believe me, the rest of the world is. I grew tired of hearing about all the "innocent lives" and "American lives" that were lost on Sept 11. What about the innocent lives that were lost when the US invaded Panama in 1989? There were 14 mass graves and the real total of lives lost here is not known and the survivors of the victims are still fighting for compensation from the US government. All lives matter, not just American lives. I live in the Republic of Panama. I was here when the US invaded this country to take out one man. We had the Stealth bomber down here, can you believe that? Panama is a very small country. North Americans are woefully uninformed. I am uncomfortable when people ask me where I am from. Sometimes I say "Canada".

Jack it’s a sad state of affairs that the American public is not aware that we are fighting a war for over 5 years with no end in sight. We should have a draft and then we will see how many Americans wake up when their loved ones are sent into harms way. My other question is where is all the oil money from Iraq? The second most oil rich nation in the world and we are sending billions a day and yet where is all that oil and money? Are we going to have to wait 10 years from now to hear that the contractors and administration absconded with it? Or are you and your journalist brothers going to actually do something and investigate this scandal. It’s not bad enough that we are losing men and woman every day but we are not even reaping the benefits from our invasion. If it was oil we wanted then lets take it and stop the bleeding at home and aborad.

The lack of awareness is sad. With that said, what about the number of Iraqi's that have been killed, maimedm turned into refugees ? How many folks are aware of those numbers ?

I think it is a tragedy that almost 4,000 soldiers have died and more than 30,000 come home severly wounded on a war that this President has changed it reason several times for even being there! An even bigger disgrace is watching Bush during his speach today still trying to connect 9/11 to Iraq. He should be ashamed of what he has done to our Military, their Families and the American people and our standing around the World and for what?? So he, his family and some cronies can all share in a big piece of the Iraqi oil.

January 20, 2009 cannot come soon enough!!!!

I think at the bottom line, people are just sick of hearing about it and sick of thinking about it. We also all know that there will be zero progress on any front as long as Bush is in office. My bet is that people don't feel they can do anything about the war, so why bother thinking about it?

Hey Jack,

Nice Piece. How about mentioning the good news that is coming out of Iraq. i.e. The Surge. The US is less focused on the war for one reason. The left wing liberal media has stopped covering the war since the number of US deaths has dropped dramatically in the last few months. Lets not talk about that. Lets just keep mentioning the death count. CNN and all the other left wing liberals refuse to acknowledge the success of The Surge. They would rather sweep it under the rug or if they are forced to talk about it all they have to say is we should not have gone in. Its a mute point , its too late we are there. How about some coverage of the success in Iraq instead of just the failures. Keep up the good reporting that Pulitzer should be on the way anytime now.

The official number is near 4000, but does anyone know what the actual number is?

Jack,

The media no longer covers what happening in Iraq. You guys want to talk about some demented preacher in Chicago 24/7!!!!!

Yes it is very bad that we as a country have lost almost 4,000 brave members of our militayr in Iraq, not to mention the Iraqi civilians that have succommed as well. The biggest and probably the worst problem of all is the media personnel like you that only look at the side of things that conform to your viewpoint. What about all of the good that has come out of the United States being in Iraq? Alot of the members of the military come back home and tell me of the good that is being done over there. Why can't you report on that instead?

This is being stage managed like a movie production. The most cynical and disturbing detail is the administration's refusal to allow coverage of the returning fallen troops at Dover. It is disgraceful, but we only have ourselves to blame. We tolerate it.

Yes 4000 is a lot over 5 years, but there were 2,974 fatalities, not including the 19 hijackers: 246 on the four planes (no one on board of the hijacked aircrafts survived),[38] 2,603 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon

In less than 1 Hour

Wake Up! It a War that we can't afford not to WIN!!!

It is less than shocking to know that the majority of Americans do not know the facts about Iraq. Being oblivious is a dangerous thing. Exhibit 1A: the United States' invasion into Iraq with no evidence of ties to Al Q-aeda or Weapons of Mass Destruction. Hopefully one day U.S. citizens will care enough to get the facts and decide whether or not our troops should risk their lives in such fashions again.

The problem is that the media would rather cover a Britney Spears or a Paris Hilton story. I thought CNN was better then this. We would rather hear the storys of Iraq, the good and the bad.

The Media is more worried about ratings......The Media is the problem.

Lou Tobbs is about the only Media person I have respect for. 60 minutes is a good show.

John LaMarr
Raleigh,NC

Jack, after returning from Nam, I discovered that American's prefer their wars, to be neat and clean. The major networks should show pictures, of American heros returning home, in flag- draped coffins, every damn night. Our country is hemorraging heroes daily and citizens must see the results, to truly appreciate their ultimate sacrafice.

You can't fight the FED. Greenspan derailed the strongest economy the planet had ever seen by raising interest rates 18 times in the last 24 months of the Clinton Admin. He kicked the crap out of the stock market. Disregard the FED at your own peril. They are finally doing the right thing and I for one wouldn't bet against them.

it's very bad.i was so sure ,that everyone else,watched lou dobbs,every night,where the grim statistics are updated daily.its sad that so many are becoming numb to this war ,and it's cost in lives and casualties.people seem more worried about their financial problems,[mostly caused by this 'war'].our government should be held accountable for each and every life lost,and every casualty sustained,for justifying a war with lies,that has cost every american dearly,but our dearest have lost everything.i feel really ashamed,right now,and i have followed the 'numbers' almost daily on the lou show.i wish subtraction was allowed in these calculations,but,unfortunatly,that math cannot be used.

All you people who said "I'm for the war" should be ashamed and embarassed, whats even more appalling is there are still people who continue to support this illegal war and support this illegitimate president along with a blood thiristy VP. "Well worth the effort" Vp? $600 billion and counting and almost 4000 young men and women lost. These hero's did not die in defense of our country and our way of life because this doesnt have anything to do with defending our freedom. They died for a pysopathetic administration headed by Karl Rove, w and vp are just puppets!

I believe that the American people may be much less aware of the progress on the ground in Iraq. One rarely sees evidence of that on television. And that's dangerous.

Did you mean our loss of thousands of dead heroes? Our tens of thousands of injured heroes? Or our trillions of tax payer dollars that are being lost in Iraq?

Genuis – so what you are telling me is that over half of Americans think the carnage is really worse than it really is. Way to spin this story

It is a known fact that the news media will publicize the bigger stories because they are a business. The Iraq war was big business for the media when it began 5 years ago, yet this has died out over time, as our soldiers have died as well. It is a shame that the media does not glorify their sacrifices in combat and instead glorifies Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, the Economy and the Stock Market. If it was not for the sacrifices of American Soldiers, these other stories would cease to exist today.

Jack,

I think the reason Americans are not getting the story out of Iraq now, is that it has changed for the positive. If there was the same level of violence in Iraq today as 6 months ago, the press would continue to have its gleeful vulture watch counting the dead everyday and trumpeting failure. Instead, we have a press-originated blackout because progress simply does not fit into the agenda of the elite press corps. Other posts about a "George Bush press blackout" leave me incredulous, as where was this "blackout" when things were going worse?

Howard
Austin, TX

Impeach Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumb and the whole administration already! For lying, corruption, conspiracy..... That will get the point across to the whole world, the upcoming administration and renew confidence in the american people.
It just takes one to get this started. Unfortunately this one person will probably have to be someone with pull. No high ranking official will listen or follow some average citizen holding a sign at a rally. We need assistance from our congressman or other elected officials.

Yo Jack,ever since the reporter got his head injury while out on patrol,the media has been all mouth & no action in Iraq. It's past time to get out.Our first Soldier lost there wasn't worth that whole country.
Bring our people home. Then declare war on Mexico.

I'm afraid the real truth is that Americans have access to all the facts and yet they choose to blame others for their ignorance. I am aware of the number of losses, and every life is precious. The reality of war, however is that compared to past battles, this war has been much less costly in terms of lives than any other major war we've fought. Our men and women have fought bravely and , particularly of late, very successfully. The recent lack of coverage is mainly and directly due to the lack of bad news to report from an American standpoint. The real shame is that the media won't cover the good that is going on over there as enthusiastically as they've covered the tragic.

it's easy to lose sight of losses when they are not shown publicly. There's a reason why the Bush administration doesn't allow pics of flag-draped-coffins coming home. And this is it. The fact that news organizations have reduced coverage of the war and subsequent deaths (American and Iragi civilian) underscores the willingness to keep the American public in the dark. Until someone turns on the light, we will continue on our blissly ignorant road waiting for the next "newsworthy" and stupid thing Britney does/says. As Americans, we only believe what we see. If we don't see anything then nothing must be happening....uh...right?

Dangerous? If they all knew about the total servicemen killed in Iraq, it wouldn't matter one iota...what are they to do about it. We have a voluteer army who knew what they were signing up for when they joined...not like the draftees of the previous wars. The volunteers receive pay and benefits to protect our country and some die in the process of doing so, but the news cheapens their sacrifice by undermining the President's efforts to keep America safe.

It appears that the press is being strangled, or it chooses to be. Most of the war news is relagated to back pages,if at all.Thats a terrible thing since we have a NOMINEE that is running his entire campaign on the war,and a President that boasts of so called successes. Those attitudes must be looked at very carefully.

Jack; They have taken names off the list, Billy Bertrand from La. is not on the list anymore. I know his family. He bied in Iraq. I'm a Bertrand also but not kin. I saw his name once but when I tried to look it up again he is not on the list, But we know better, No telling how many more they have hid so they can lie to the AMERICAN people. JACK Why can't politicians tell the (TRUTH) WHY?????????

News Flash, no one cares about the Iraq war anymore unless you have family and friends over there. Most everyday American who work a 9 to 5 job could care less about the warand thank god. Do you think I really care about Iraqi freedom when we have our terrorists and gangs in our inner cities? I have enough problems making sure I don't lose my house. Thanks for the war Bush, let him and the conservatives finish what they started. I just don't care anymore, war never solves anything, and neither will the war on terror. Sad but true.

Americans have never been as aware of the losses in Iraq as they should be nor have they been as fully invested in the war as in past wars because of the administration's use of the "back door draft". The unprecedented use of National Guard troops to fill overseas service needs has resulted both in a lower national sense of investment in this "critical" (Bush/Cheney's words) conflict, a lower sense of urgency to "get the job done" and an uneven sharing of the personal losses. The few dedicated people who have had the energy and motivation to protest the war these past five years deserve our admiration.

It's way past time that we impeach Bush!

The media is too busy covering the election news and the controversy that goes with it to bother covering the war. But if Americans don't know what's going on it's their fault. The info is out there if you read more than one paper, read more than one web site and listen to more than one station.

Jack,
Very! as a Vet it sadden me we should never forget the ones who give their lifes for our country even if your for or against the war in Iraq it's a sin not to think about the heros who gave their life.

Jack, The media were part of the original cheerleaders for this war. All the embedded journalists told the official story. So my words to the media are to ask yourselves are you part of the problem or the solution. Was your "mission accomplished" flag up so there is no reason to continue aggressive reporting? Tell the story about how the Iraqi govt still cannot come together and lead their country which is what the surge was supposed to let them do. Also follow the money.....where is the oil revenue?

Jack

President Bush is a president who has no idea what this war is all about.
He is arrogant and stupid to think that the American people are ill
informed about the senceless killing in Iraq.
He and his cabinet have made our Country look very stupid in the eyes
and minds of all nations.
He went to war because of his daddy.
Jack you are the only one who has the gutts to tell it like it is,yes
wolff Blitzer is also a guttless wonder,so the wind blows so blows Wolff.

We need more people like you.

By the way I do support our troops 200% or more.

McCain must be defeated for sure,we can't afford to do more harm
to our troops.

Thanks

Hank

So when is ANYONE going to do something about it? As a veteran of Iraq it absolutely sickens me and my fellow combat veterans to see the apathy in lead stories night after night after night. We have to search out news about the wars. It's the cause of our financial situation, it's the cause of our diminishing internbational influence, and the cause of so many other "headlines" that taint our media. But no one wants to talk about the real problem, which is why vets are left standing, holding the ugliness. Profitable media took the place of objective and informative media. The media that is supposed to be the "watchdog".

Jack, it is extremely concerning to me because it indicates a complacency on the part of the American public as to why and what we are doing in Iraq. Am I surprised? No not really because it shows that we are more concerned about the sexual escapades of our politicians than we are about the senseless killing of human beings.This was made apparent by the Clinton/Monica affair and all the time and money and attention that was given to that and now we have the Eliot Spitzer/callgirl scandal. I think this country has more important issues to be concerned over. Let their wives beat up on them or join in as a threesome!

It's dangerous but we ignore it because they volunteered and the media allowed itself to be shut out of truly covering the war.

That's why I'm convinced we need a constitutional amendment that anytime we have a declaration of war, that at least part of the military has to come from draftees – with the sons and daughters of elected officials being first in line.

That will end the wars based on lies and "staying the course" when we need to change course.

Operation Iraqi Freedom has lead us into a real war at home. Americans are fighting against high oil, gas and grocery prices. These kitchen table issues are a real result of this war. These issues are creating a new Shock 'N Awe about how this government can manipulate the media into never showing the corpses that come home in coffins, draped in flags of our valiant soldiers. When we start forgeting about the ever increasing numbers of casualties (and not just Americans), real images can help us put it back into perspective to help end this mess abroad and domestically.

This is a tradgedy! But it's all for the good of the republicans. The less the people know, the less they can oppose. As long as they (the Republicans) continue to say that we are making significant gains fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq, (which they sent to Iraq) the more support they garner from the people that haven't a clue. So we may as well starting singing "hail to the chief" and prepare for many more troop deployments to Iraq, when McCain is elected.

4,000 military casualties is a terrible thing, however, there has not been one casualty on American soil since September 2001. War has high price, but the security and liberties it produces is unmeasurable. For those who bash the administration, what would you do, stand by to let it happen again? Furthermore, under no circumstances should the flag draped coffins be shown to fuel the liberal fire. That is a sacred moment which should not be used as a political tactic. Grow up and understand that we have enemies, wheather we like it or not.

As a soldier's wife, it's disgusting to me that more people aren't aware of what's happening with the wars. Only if in issue affects them personally do they ever care care; if there were a draft, for example, you better believe that the public would be tuned into how many Americans are fighting, when they're coming home, etc. The reason people should care, though, is b/c these brave men and women are representing us all over the world, and THAT does matter. What they do and how they conduct themselves abroad is extremely important. This corrupt and incompetent administration may have put our forces in Iraq, but it's up to each and every one of the soldiers to make positive differences there as best they can, and I believe that is what they're doing. SUPPORT THE TROOPS...and Go Democrats!

Jack,
One way to lose sight is the obvious blackout which is imposed against showing the homecoming of our soldiers bodies. If we watched the caskets being unloaded off the planes on the evening news regularly, that would force feed us the reality of our situation.
That would of course not serve the interests of Bush Cheney. and their cronies.....and afterall is'nt that all that has mattered for the last horriffic more than seven long years.

It is sad that Americans aren't paying as much attention to the casualties of the Iraq war. From personal experience, as a young bride in 1967 my husband went to Vietnam, I started paying more attention to what was going on in that war. Somehow if it doesn't touch us personally it doesn't seem as bad or real. The news media needs to continue to keep the public aware of the numbers....no not the numbers, but of the faces and accounts of their lives so that people don't just think of a number, but they think of the mother, father, sister, brother, wife, and children left behind to grieve for this precious life that was sacrificed for a country very far away.

3,992 is the troop count, but how many civilian non-combattants can be added to that tally? I read a report on one of the news agencies websites a while back that the number of civilians that are killed and wounded is rarely, if ever reported. It is another important number to include in the tally overall as there are thousands of contract workers in the war zone filling non-comabt rolls the government has contracted out.

The people of America should see the flag draped coffins on networt tv every day the come home.And the fact that they are dieing all the time and no one notices is SAD for americans.The president will not end the war and only the democratics winning the white house in NOV. will stop the useless killing.

Our awareness of the costs and significance of this war hasn't improved since 2003. But we can't just blame "the media." They, like politicians, often only tell us what they think we want to hear. The lack of media coverage is due, to a very great extent, on the lack of demand for such coverage.

The minute that the U.S. government starting making it difficult for the press to cover the flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq, the American people should have smelled a rat. Instead, most of the country seems to have decided that it's much easier just to hold its nose and pretend everything is going as planned.

Jack, it's no surprise that news about the Iraq war has vanished in this election year, just look at who owns most of the news media - Republicans! (So much for the myth of the "Liberal Media). In January two non-profit journalism organizations released a study showing the Bush administration issued more than 900 false statements to get this war started. That story was promptly buried and/or ignored by almost the entire news media. If the news media will ignore the fact that the war was built on lies, they will definitely dumb down coverage of the war's toll in lives, limbs and money.

Jack, I think it is very dangerous because I think it gives a green light to this administration and ones that might precede that they can invade a country at will. I have to put some of the blame on the news media because of focusing on a black preacher while the death toll rises in Iraq. But me and my fellow citizens are as much to blame for not speaking out and leaving this war put on the back burner when so many brave soldiers have given their lives for fighting. I think it is not only dangerous but is a sin for all of us to leave this happen. Maybe they should bring back the draft which might happen if we are led down another path to war. Then there will be a lot of concern shown.

The tragedy is that 4000 have died and their legacy is likely tied not to the bravery and honor with which they served, but to the ineptness that continually has plagued this war.

Americans lack of awareness of what is going on in Iraq is a testament to a government that does not want its citizens engaged on issues and a citizenry that will not use the tools at its disposal to keep up. Leadership requires thought and a desire to never loose the edge. Regrettably after years of un truths and excuses from elected and other 'leaders' it appears that many in this country have lost the desire to demonstrate to the rest of the world the power of information.

Michael, Seattle, WA

I remember Lou Dobbs keeping a daily tab on Enron executives being
brought to justice. What about doing the same for the young men and women maimed or killed in this senseless war? They surely deserve
more awareness and recognition.
Jean
Montreal, Canada

it's simple. 2-yrs mandatory service for all able-bodied males (or one son from every family that has at least one). watch how much more carefully we americans will vote & demand accountability before casting our sons & daughters off to war. europe does have us beat in certain ways.

Jack, It is to be expected that the Bushies can claim that progress is being made in Iraq since we have been putting more troops, weapons, and material into the country. The members of our Army and Marines are wonderfully trained and very dedicagted. But it is going to cost around $1 Trilllion, probably 4,500 to 5,000 military fatalities, probably 30,000 seriously wounded, and a civilian death toll that is so high the Bushies will not admit it.

The thing is that besides the American people not knowing what is going on in Iraq, they are being obstructed from knowing what is going on with must of the rest of the Bush administration, E-mails and government business is being run on servers owned by the Republican National Committee, not the Federal government. Contracts and multibillion dollar deals are secret. Investigative journalism is almost non-existent., and the bricks in Congress are doing close to nothing effectively.

Awareness of Iraq war losses is a direct function of the Media's presentation. Politics rules: An inflamatory portion of a sermon by Obama's ex minister is shown again and again, but notes on American dead servicemen are rarely shown. Not so long ago the names of the dead, in honor, were regularly read on CNN. Why did it stop ?

The minute that the U.S. government started making it difficult for the press to cover the flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq, the American people should have smelled a rat. Instead, most of the country seems to have decided that it’s much easier just to hold its nose and pretend everything is going as planned.

The media is our view into the realities of this war. We are not in the middle of it, so we know what you tell us. So don't talk about the dangers of americans being unaware of the death toll when for two days the headline on CNN was a call-girls myspace pictures. And leave Bush alone; on the day after 9/11 everyone wanted retribution. Anyone who wants to see who is really to blame for this war only needs to look in a mirror.

The less Americans know about anything, the worse off we are – WMD's, no bid contracts, KBR, torture, etc. Part of the reason that Iraq and the nearly 4,000 Americans KIA is taking a back seat is because now we have a financial crisis at home that is threatening the stability of global markets. So in some respects, this just plays into the hands of the GOP. It shoud come as no surprise that the Bush Administration was (asleep) at the wheel in Iraq, Afghanistan, New Orleans, Wall Street and Main Street. The Administration is a clear reflection of the man. Bush danced a soft shoe because he knows his January 20, 2009 is fast approaching and he can hand off his mess to someone else and, of course, to the rest of America.

Thank you for you eye opening commentary. I have a son who has served in both the Bushs' wars, and hate to admit that I am less aware when Brad is stateside then when he's in Iraq. We have to keep this war on the front burner and continue to illustrate how out of touch the president is.

The loss of 4000 troops is awful in and of itself. But how many troops have come home with physical and mental problems that will last the rest of their lives. It's reprehensible to think how our vets are treated, (or Not), after they return home. I DO believe Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield and the rest of the criminals should be hauled off to The Hague and tried as war criminals. Hallaburton and the other blood sucking companies should be made to give their blood money back to the American people.

Unless it's the price of gas that people can recognize because it is unavoidable people need to be informed by the mass media about events that are outside their immediate experience. Unfortunately, the media BUSINESS is driven by a concern with what is novel and entertaining and also has a vested interest in maintaining the legitimacy of even the most criminal government in American history. Both goals negate proper attention not only to an ongoing tragedy for our soildiers, but an even greater one for Iraqis whose country we have destroyed while trying to save it for ....our continued hegemony in the area and all the economic advantages it brings.

Why hasn't ANY media outlet covered the Winter Soldier hearins in DC this past weekend. Why don't you say something about that Jack?
The last one, during Vietnam, also was ignored-and makes riveting viewing in the documentary that was produced. happy to lend you my copy. If enough Americans saw it the war would have ended in 1971 not 1975.

It's both disappointing and telling that most Americans can tell you how many contestants are left on American Idol, but not have a clue of how many American soldiers have died in Iraq.

Jim from Greensboro, NC

Given the Bush administrations edict, and the medias acquiescence to the ban of photographs of flagged draped coffins returning home it really isn't a surprise. The only somber reminder I have seen in the media is George Stephanoplous's "In Memoriam" segment every Sunday.

Jack: The people who aren't aware of how many troop deaths there have been are the same people who helped get us into this war in the first place, and who put "support our troops" stickers on their car.

Very dangerous. It leads to complacency..the war is "second hand news" now, a stepchild to the poor economy (which is now being blamed on the war, in part! ) So, rather than mentioning the toll the war is taking on American lives (not to mention innocent Iraqi cilvillian lives), we say that the war is negatively affecting the economy. I for one, will vote Democratic regardless of who the nominee is – eight years of Republican "leadership" in the White House is more than I can stomach...

Who cares? Nobody!! All the people writing about how outraged they are arn't going to do anything about it, In 20 years we will be killing people somewhere else and nobody will care about it either.

The news media in Canada is allowed to show the coffins coming back from Afganistan, the funeral services and the griefing relatives. It's called freedom of the press. Those images are powerful and spark debate within the country about Canada's role in this conflict.

Spencer Boudreau
Carigan, Quebec,
Canada

Don't blame us Jack...we were told to pay attention to how great the economy was doing.
Maybe we should ship the subprime lenders to Iraq. We could sit back and watch them destroy someone elses economy for a change. Now that's entertainment!

It is just as dangerous as continuing to ignore the un-truths told to us by our politicians, and especially our current administration.

The danger is that we will go into the next war as happy-go-lucky as we went into this one. In the famous words of George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

Leo
Cleveland, Ohio

Connect the dots between today's troubling headlines and you'll see the true price that we're all paying for the Bush administration's fiasco in Iraq.

For example, while Americans complain about the price of gasoline, the news media have been AWOL in reporting that a key reason for the high price is uncertainty in world oil markets created by Bush's inept Middle Eastern foreign policy.

God bless our soldiers, and God bless America!

The more knowledge we have, the better decissions we can make.

Many Americans don't pay much attention to numbers and statistics so the idea that they don't know almost 4000 have died isn't surprising. Really though, the message is not about how many died but how many will die. We can't do anything about those already dead, the problem is at the rate of around 10000 seriously wounded per year we're looking at 1,000,000 wounded and killed over the 100 years war McCain is interested in.
Before anyone dares to say 4000 killed isn't that many; if you have friends in the military who are put in harms way daily, or are the mother, father, brother or sister of a soldier in combat you know that even one death much less 4000 isn't just something, its everything. How many more men and women need to die for a mistake?

I have a brother in Iraq at the moment, and I have to say I wasn't aware that nearly 4000 troops have lost their lives. Why? Well, when the media fails to mention it at least once it's understandable that not many people pay attention. Oh they could read up on the facts themselves, but with the economy the number one priority at the moment I doubt that's going to happen (For instant, I'm still looking for a job). Is it it shame, sure, but to be honest as long as my brother doesn't join that number I honestly don't care.

For after all, the facts are that our President is certainly not going to do anything about it, and a congress elected to do something about Iraq isn't going to get off their lazy backsides anytime soon. Plus if anything there has been success in Iraq, because no longer are we loosing two service members a a month (or so it seemed at the peak of the violence). So what exactly should be done anyway? Withdrawal, no, I don't think that'll fix things. It's our mess, and we should obviously see this all the way through whatever the outcome.

As for the media, they're only covering what's most exciting at the moment, which is the president race. All the excitement in Iraq at the moment has pretty much died down (As far as service members go, because honestly I don't think Americans every really cared about Iraqi's in the same sense Iraqi's probably don't much care about Americans). So so what if American's aren't aware at the moment, I don't think that's a bad thing honestly. Especially when all we as a populous can do is vote really, and we have/are doing that at increased numbers. So I say give us a break at the moment, I don't think our ignorance will continue as the media is sure to switch back to Iraq sooner or later and pound us forever with information on Iraq whether we like it or not (Indeed, mine has just been lifted).

You don't have to look far on the Internet to find those statistics – if Americans are not aware of these statistics, it is because they don't want to know. I was against the war from the beginning, but I am still very grateful for the sacrifices made by our military and their families – many of whom have been changed forever by this debacle. Where would we be without these brave men and women (and their families) who are willing to risk it all.

The public IS being misinformed and uninformed in regards to (oh yeah) the WAR! But perhaps more importantly, they are not being given a context by which to frame the situation in a way that spurs rational conclusions.
To play around with logic, I believe that we have won the war. We beat them. Al Qaeda killed over 3000 americans on September 11th. Well we one-upped them, and killed over 4000 americans in "retribution". Not to mentioned the 30 thousand troops that are now amputees, or, oh yeah, the tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of conveniently dark skinned Iraqis whose death is a sidenote concern to most americans. No, what we want to know is how much is the war going to cost.
Here's some more "logic". How many thousands of people need to die before we get those 3000 back?

Mark – Asheville, NC

It is a shame that you are so misguded by the leftst propaganda running amok in our WNC mountain home.

If we are half as successfuly in Iraq as is currently planned, GWB will go down as a hero for pulling off the largest most successfuly bait and switch in history. Instead of fighting terrorist on our shores we are confronting them on a battle ground of our choosing, forcing them to committed resources they don't have battle zones in two different regions. Wake up and think with something other than your bleeding heart.

And btw – I lived in Europe for well over a decade and trust me they are, by and large, far more screwed up over there than we will ever be. I could care less what they think about us or our President. I can't stand Americans who praise Europeans as if they walk on water – you have no clue. If you don't like it here then do what Johnny Depp did an leave – France would love to have you too.

Mainstream media coverage of the war has been pathetic from the very beginning and has been clearly directed at supporting the war and the ideas that keep us in Iraq. Media ownership by those interested only in profits has put mainstream media outlets in the class of tabloids.

Very dangerous taking into consideration tthe Republican nominee thinks we need to stay the course. Americans could not pay attention to the death and destruction when we did not have the any of the current distractions (i.e. rising fuel costs, the mortgage crisis, the collapse of the 5th largest bank in the country). Maybe we can place an add on the next episode of "American Idol" and announce the death toll. If Simon presents it, Americans would listen.

Jack, there is NO SHARED SACRIFICE and thus the majority of Americans rate the economy as their first concern as long as someone else's children are being killed and permanently disabled in Bush's "Holy War" in Iraq, a war crime! I have to admit, on several occasions, having tears in my eyes during the past several years about this Bush Iraq War; watching the pictures of those killed on the PBS news hour and thinking of them in a far away very strange land, not knowing the language, not knowing who the enemy is and little or no training for such missions, not having sufficient armor, personal armor, or even reliable M4/M16 rifles. These young American "volunteers" are being killed in a war initiated by the ignorant, arrogant and incompetent corrupt leadership of the nation. The biggest sneering war hawk, Cheney, being a proven 5 times Vietnam War draft dodger coward and Bush, with his daddy's help, avoiding Vietnam combat at any cost! If I pick up the paper some morning and read Cheney died (hopefully in a painful accident) I would rush down to the local bar and buy drinks for everyone there! The incompetent lying Republican "neocons" Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz have caused this Iraq War tragedy and also made Iran a regional power in the eyes of the people of the Islamic World and creating thousands upon thousands of anti American terrorists around the world. If we had a working democracy, both Bush and Cheney would be impeached!

Jack,

With you sitting there in your nice comfortable chair, asking stupid questions like this, over and over again, while these soldiers of ours are out fighting a war, that is "protecting" this country, makes me laugh at how CNN is probably the most biased left wing liberal media organization I have ever seen, and I am from Canada! Until all you lib kooks start to understand that we are trying to protect this country, and spread a little democracy around the world to make it a better and safer place to live for all in this world, we are going to continue down this same path which is all but routine on CNN. Maybe one day you will wake up and realize that those soldiers died fighting to keep "YOU" safe.

Chris
TN

Most of this responses make me sick. Look people we are in Iraq and we must stay and finish this war. Do you want to know why? Here is why. Remember back in the 80’s we helped the Afghanistan’s recapture their country from the Soviets. Well after the Afgans won we just left them in a war torn country and guess what happened? Al Qaeda had a perfect place to grow and flourish. Now if we leave Iraq in the same condition with out a formal government, like we did in Afghanistan in the 80’s, well then history will repeat itself. Yes it is sad that we have lost soldiers but it is war and it is a war with a cause.

What your surprised Jack. Brittany breaks a nail. CNN has it as the top story for weeks. You people and the rest of the media wear storys
to the very end. It is realy getting old. Im turning the news off. Turning to the internet for actual news. Wake up this the reason people watching the news is fading. P.S. I will vote for a broom handle
before I would vote for a RIPUBLICAN. Not miss spelled.

Patricia - Its great that you are so incredibly aware of everything going on in the war. However, Jack was clearly addressing the majority of Americans who are not. I find your tone condescending and inappropriate.

Good question Jack. It is vitally important. In addition, it is vitally important that people understand the reality of the health care crisis and who really has the best plan for covering everyone and who is really the best candidate for the economny. How about ask, who has really been working on health care longer??? This line item in each family budget comes a greater percentage than anything else besides a mortgage. We must remember that all of us are only one diagnosis away from financial disaster to due mounting health care costs we cannot pay. Closing, who might really have their eye focused on national security more: a senator from a state targetted twice by terrorist or one who was not in the senate to engage in debates on those critical issues and review intelligence related to such. Please Jack, let's at least give one some credit. Thanks again for the question.
NC

Oh, and I'm sure the media will be back to remind us once again once we hit the magic number of 4,000 if they wont remind us tomorrow.

4000 seems like a big number, but there were battles in WWII where we lost that many boys before lunch. But of course, we were defending freedom then, not carrying out the President's personal vendetta by invading a soverign country without cause. What a mess.

The real danger of becoming less aware of US losses in Iraq is not of political or international matter, but of human implications because you might forget the pain , either physical or mental, that our military is suffering, including their families with the long deployments. Not to honor those who go and later return ....and just see them as if they would have just returned from a movie... it is very dangerous to stop feeling something for those who lost their lives, for it is unity, honor and sacrifice what has kept the USA together in times of need. As a mother of 2 military boys , one right now in Iraq, it really hurts how people change TV Stations with a click to avoid news on Iraq

Gwendolyn
Puerto Rico

I don't want to minimize the number, but in FIVE YEARS we've lost 3,992 brave soldiers. In the Civil War, we lost over 23,000 men in ONE DAY at Antietam. At the storming of the beach in Normandy, we lost over 6,000 men in one day. Since the start of the war, more people have died crossing the street.

Again, not to trivialize things, but we are at war. These numbers are remarkable in that there are so few casualties.

Where is the truth?

In a country where we rely on news reports to inform us of what goes on, I find that I am angry. Angry with political agendas, Hand shake political deals, and disreguard for the whole truth, that today's reporters do.

I want the truth. The American people want the truth. Our Soldiers DESERVE for us to know the truth.

If the American people are loosing hold of the scope of these wars...it is the fault of the media. A media that searches for the all mighty dollar.

Are there any true reporters left out there? Or are they all consumed by the media giants who remain in the pocket of their political party?

We need a change in America. Just look at the news we see around the world. When people become angry, they protest in mass. Not in America...because our media spreads the half truths, and points us away from the real issues.

I applaud you Jack...for daring to bring this question up. Are you a real news man? When you see these posts, what are YOU going to do about it?

The simple fact is that the american population is a 'need it right this second' society. We're reliant on instant gratification. Stuff that takes time, and isn't done quickly is dubbed a failure. I for one, am sick of uneducated people, without all the facts making broad based emotional statements on things that they have NO clue about. If you weren't there... STFU.

Recent American generations have a very limited world view. The media either doesn't show or isn't allowed to show graphic images of the war or any other horrific occurence. Wouldn't want to upset someone with the truth... they might have to go swallow another pill to numb themselves. What has happened to American society? I am recently returned to the U.S. after many years abroad and it is disheartening to see this country and its people continuously spirally down the same hole of idiotic news stories, same old politics (how can people even be thinking to put another Republican in the White House??), spending like there's no tomorrow (both individuals and the government).... it has long been a prescription for disaster and now the U.S. is beginning to feel the pain of high energy costs like the rest of the world has for years. ( it encouraged them to build and use smarter cars) Where is all that cheap oil we were supposed to have? I keep reading that the American public should be considered smarter than recent history indicates, as far as its elections, habits, etc. But I have to admit I don't see much indication of it. Everyone seems to have a short attention span and the fact that most of the country isn't aware of global events isn't much of a surprise... maybe in ten years or so when the big economic leaders are China and India, maybe then someone will wake up... probably too late. All in all, a sad mess.

Jack, With all due respect and in hindsight, I think the first American soldier killed in Iraq was and is enough to remember. And now, quickly approaching four thousand of the most important reasons why we should have reframed..................

It is sad when more Americans are concerned with the death of an Actor form Australia than they are with the deaths of those loyal troops fighting in Iraq. I am not sure if it was your Jeanne Moss who asked a number of New Yorkers what faith Obama was, but many of those people questioned thought he was Muslim. So it is not surprising when they seem even less knowledgeable about the world around them and how America affects it. Just look at George Bush he did not even know gas was rapidly approaching $4.00 a gallon. I think we have 5th graders here in Canada that know more about the US than some Americans including your President.

It's terrifying that we don't know (or don't care) how many lives were lost and we have no idea what's REALLY going on in Iraq. It is also horrifying that we don't even know why we are there. At first, it was WMD (remember those?). That was the excuse to go there. Now, the government entangled us in endless war with Al-Qaeda lurking in every corner. Americans MUST care and MUST demand answers from our leaders. Otherwise it's like blind (the government) leading blind. Open your eyes America and let's finally say NO to this disaster.

It is harmful both to the children that are fighting and to those who will follow. It is alarming that the numbers are not shown for Iraqi losses also. How can one judge or have an opinion if you don' t have all the details. Surely this is how Bush sleeps at night but I don't understand the majority of the population not getting the picture correctly or at least requesting it.

“You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.” – Winston Churchill

Take this to heart and wake up america. War is not fun , but realize everything you have now has been gained by blood and payed forward by the american soldier. Freedom is not free. Throw out your political BS and realize we got rid of another world Tyrant and gave another country a chance to have what you have. If you don't think that is a noble cause you need to check yourself! No matter what the political spectrum feels i know what i fight for and gladly die for!

"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it."
General Douglas MacArthur

"Almost half think the death toll is 3,000 or less"

What's the correlation between reliance on Faux News and ignorance about the costs of this war? And voting Republican? After all, didn't a majority of Faux News watchers think the Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11 last time around?

meh – not realy intersted in the war any more.

4,000 dead over 5 years is nothing for a country of 300 million.
In 6 months of WWI we lost 116,000 killed, 206,000 wounded when the US population was 1/3rd of what it is today.
Every year 40,000+ americans are killed in automobile-related fatalities. A death is a death, whether you die young at war, or suddenly at the hands of your fellow americans. At least the soldiers volunteered for the risk.
The cost is nothing as well, and arguably good for our economy which needs help since the credit debacle. WW2 was 130% of GDP, Gulf war is like 2%. A cheap price to pay if everything works out.
Americans need to decide, isolationist and let the rest of the world fall where it will, or pay the price to involve itself as a superpower. That is the real debate we need to have as a county. Ignore the press, they are just a bunch of parasites whipsawing the public back and forth with garbage and emotional footage for ratings. Slandertainment and sensationalism my father calls it.

I think there is a very reasonable answer for this. Last year when 50% knew the number we had more people dying on a daily basis and that number was being reported constantly by the media to justify their criticism of the war. Now that things are starting to stabilize and we have less people dying, the media has changed the reason for opposition of the war from troops dying to how much it costs.

If we would have had a citizen army instead of "volunteers" and contractors, we never would have gone to war in the first place. Put a draft in place and we'd be out of Iraq in a heartbeat.

I watched contractors get rich in Viet Nam and our reliance on these war profiteers as increased a hundredfold.

Sad but true, Americans attention span is very limited. They would much rather hear about the Hollywood crowd, then their own sons and daughters fighting an illegal war. The Media and Journalists are no longer relevant, they have given their souls to the Bush administration and sold out their duty to report news as it is, not as the Bush administration tells them too. The arogance of Bush and Cheney is beyond comprehension, and they should end up in the Hague and tried for their war crimes. As should their intire cabinet. Other countries cannot understand how as a people we have let our government get with this without impeaching these greedy idiots.

Perhaps a return from the ether is in order Jack?

4000 dead is an awful reality...but a reality none-the-less. You ill speak of their sacrifice, and a constant focus on everything in your infinite enlightenment that has gone wrong in Iraq does nothing to honor their loss. Last time I checked, we are at WAR! Regardless of your sentiment towards Bush & Co. an immediate withdraw will do nothing but perpetuate the chaos that is the ME….how can anyone, suggestive of even common sense, believing that leaving the forefront of conflict is a wise decision?

The sad reality is that left wing mouth pieces such as yourself eagerly await such gruesome milestones…it allows you to air chair quarterback yourselves right back into self righteousness at the expense of the families that have lost loved ones.

But aren't we assuming that by not participating in Iraq, we would have no enemies – no obligation for defense?

The same argument existed prior to the end of the cold-war. We thought all "that money" being spent on the cold-war could be diverted to a "peace dividend" – but rather, we have witnessed resurgent opposition and previously unrecognized enemies.

It’s not likely a withdrawal from Iraq will evaporate all opposition.
.

I think it is real dangerous, but I blame the media on this one. All we have been getting from the media lately is political blather on the Presidential candidates. They have almost completely ignored the war in Iraq for the last six months.

I don't know. What does Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson think about the topic? Maybe they can even have call-in voting to guess how many have been killed in Iraq. That's about the only way anyone is going to pay attention to what's going on.

Jack has anyone noticed that there are no bodybags being shown on the news? Out of sight out of mind. As long as the administration keeps showing the war as a video game we americans will never fully grasp the human sacrifice we have given to a country that does not want us there in the first place. What will be the magic number and monetary cost of this war that will finally show that this policy ranks as a complete disaster.

Residencce is Dallas, Texas. Here in Toronto for week.

Not surprised at all. Americans' concern, awareness beyond their car, house, Starbuck coffee, and next shopping, dining event is nil, nonexistent.

Americans only care about what affects them directly and the further away it is the less it interests them.

Can't wait for the US dollar to be devalued by IMF. This will wake up people and hopefully hold their attention beyond a weekend.

I do not see whay anyone should be surprised by these turn of events, the present administration has always tried to keep things silent or lie about the actual results as much as possible. With the upcoming presidential election many manueverings within the GOP are taking place. First of all a very successful candidate was asked to remove himself so Senataor Mc Cain could be the next republi9can cadidate because he can do better against Clinton than the others could. Next is to keep silent on releases of info on the war and try to lie to the people and make them feel it is less than it actually is, safer, less death but never really giving the actual tallies unless asked directly. Keeping our attention elsewhere only plays into the hands of the GOP attempt once more to steal an election. Why is anyone surprised by this, they have already succeedded twice so why would they ever stop now? Wake up America, the GOP and Mc Cain are out to sell you a bill of goods so they can keep on protecting the oil companies interests first and foremost. It has been asked where is all the money for the Iraqi oil, I bet the major oil companies of this country can tell you if they were not so afraid of the repercussions. We, the American people are paying the monies to purchase the oil and make huge profits for the US Oil intersts, and not one red cent in taxes or otherwise is ever going to go to pay for the war, it never was, that was a lie by the GOP from the beginning, after all, who is a good part of the GOP, oh my Gosh, it's the US Oil industry, imagine that.

It is time for the press to retake its place at airports with pens, laptops, and cameras in hand each time one of America's finest comes home in a box. IF the American people saw these events as they occurred, we would instantly become more aware of the human cost of this war. Perhaps the news media needs to give us daily reminders at the start of evening newsbroadcasts of the human and financial toll of this war as it progresses. Put the same info on the front page of every daily newspaper every day. If Americans are about to be faced with the choice of a new President who favors the war and one who does not, we need to be informed voters! Inform us!

Loosing anyone at war is bad. But the loss of >4000 troops over a 5 year period against the worlds 3rd largest military is a feat unheard of in military history. Congrats to our military for there sucess!!!!!!!

The war in Iraq has so many ramifications (economic, political, personal freedoms, loss of life) it is terrible that so few people really care what is happening over there. Typical American that has a first concern about how it hurts their wallet. At times you feel ashamed to be part of that group.

Very dangerous Jack, the public has become bored with the war and therefore, the media finds more controversial topics to cover like the presidential elections and disgraced polititians. We need to focus on bringing our troops home and ending this fiasco of the Bush Administration. That won't happen until the public wakes up to the ongoing death toll in Iraq and the millions we spend there every day with no end in sight!

Jack,
I believe that the public is made even less aware of our progress in Iraq. I rarely see the media note the positives, yet almost every military person I've spoken to acknowledges that good things really are happening over there. For the sake of our nation's morale, I consider that to be more dangerous. We all appreciate the great sacrafices that these heroes make for us.

Dallas, TX

It's very dangerous and I blame the media. Since the first of the year, it's like a curtain has been pulled over events in Iraq (good events or bad events). Where is Michael Ware? Why is Nic Robertson in London or some other area of the world but never Iraq. CNN seldom has a report from Iraq. The same with MSNBC. I can't believe the media would drop Iraq completely because the surge was working. I think they would report the progress. I also cannot believe the U.S. political coverage would take over reports on Iraq completely. Has there been some sort of "gag" order put on media coverage of Iraq?

Its tradgic. It is not our media's fault for beginning to limit coverage on the Iraq War. Its the American publics fault for not being outraged enough to prompt continued coverage. Those that disagree with the war dont disagree vehemently enough to protest or write their representative. The media coverage was tedious and was deservedly cut. Why should media apply coverage when a majority of the population doesnt care. Media's primary responsibility is to educate or inform of new developments.
I actually believe that it is in our best interests to be involved in the region but i find the cost appalling. This country will be bankrupt in 10-20 years and it will be due primarily to overagressive foreign policies and supply side economic theories with unwarranted and dangerous tax breaks.

It is intolerable to ignore the lives of those who are sharing and defending our freedom and democracy with those who have not experienced it. By not being reminded on a daily basis of our citizens who are giving their lives up for others, we are in fact just selfishly and immorally indulging in self–deception.
waltham,ma.

People don't know what is going on because the media isn't covering it because things are going better.

Its unimaginable. Its costing lives and destroying the economy. The US sheeple are sleepwalking into the end of the American Empire and there is going to be hell to pay. The main stream media are presstitutes and shills for the administration and are much to blame. The Bush foriegn policy is the worst disaster ever for the American people. Ojai CA.

This article is very interesting because I am actually writing a term paper on this very same thing. It is a comparison of the massive protest during the vietnam war and the lack therof today. My paper really looks at the question of why that is since public approval of Bush and public approval of LBJ are very similar, also the approval of the two wars are about equal, but the protest is not. Today we do not have things like massive marches on Washington, Veterans hurling their medals at the capital, or Kent State. There are a lot of factors that come into play, but the major factor is the media. During Vietnam there were body counts on the news every night, and the horrors of the war were brought right into the American living room. Today we have such a limited coverage and embedded reporters. Kudos to Jack Cafferty and CNN for having the guts to write this article and going agaisnt the more popular route of just not covering these issues.

As a wife to an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, I find it especially worrisome that less and less people are caring about what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. From June 2004 to July 2007, my husband was deployed for two of out of those three years. The burden placed on troops and their family members is, to say the least, overwhelming. Knowing your spouse may be home for just a year before leaving again is heartbreaking. Furthermore, I believe these wars will have a tremendous impact on all Americans' lives for a long time contrary to what some may think. Many Americans like to turn their heads when the reality is shown... NOT reality T.V. but the reality of troops losing their lives or suffering from both psychological and mental wounds that will not soon be healed. The economy will fix itself... hopefully, gas prices may rise more, "celebrities" will make their money but the true heroes of our country- the ones standing up to fight for our country, will be the ones who will continue to carry the unfair burden of politics gone awry.

Despite the fact that I personally have never supported Bush or the Iraq war, I do support our troops, having loved ones, and friends of loved ones closely connected with military efforts. While the media and government may be somewhat at fault for keeping the American public in the dark, the real danger comes in denial of the fact that there are brave men and women fighting for our country, whether they fully support the cause or not. The true danger comes within each individual living with a false sense of security in their governments ability to provide the best for them.

Great Jack, who do you think benefits from the silence? George Bush, Dick Cheney and McCain. The less the public know about the war, the more the administration continues to say "the war was the right thing to do". The media is also helping the Administration's cause. The media report briefly about the increase violence in Iraq since January 2008. On the other hand, they gave detail analysis on sound bites from the administration and McCain such as “if we leave now, we (American people) will surrender to the enemy”. Jack, we do not even know the enemies. My question to you Sir is why do Americans have such short-term memory?

When we hit 4,000 dead (and this is just combat deaths..not the soldiers who are injured and come back here and then die of, say, an infection while recovering in a hospital) perhaps Americans will pay more attention. It's a nice round number. And then again how many Americans noticed that three times in the past two days candidate McCain has referred to AL Quaida being trained in Iran! Sunnis being trained in Iran? How senile is this man? Nope we are not paying attention again.

New York City

Real simple, from where I'm sitting. The greater the extent to which George W & his pals can hide their aggressive behavior, stonewalling and significant failure in Iraq behind coverage of the campaign, the subprime loan crisis, and Britney Spears, the greater the likelihood the GOP can slide its next warmonger into place... and good ole' John can expand the conflict into Iran for five or ten more years of damage to the American image in the eyes of the world.
Who knows whether it's as a result of blatant censorship, maintaining a low profile, or whether the press simply got tired of covering Iraq after five years. The result is the same. Turning a blind eye to the chaos in Iraq allows McCain and his crew to slip right in.

Part of all of this is one reason I am seriously consiering emigrating to one of the european countries and giving up my US citizenry, I am no longer proud to be an American but hang my head i n shame.......

Your concerned over the fact that people don't know the life cost of the Iraqi war? I'm shocked, you spend too much time covering election non-news...which by the way, I don't bother with either. I flip the channels looking for news and information of world and local events, what I find is trash that is cheap, inexpensive, and manipulated information on American Idol.

To use a famous quote: "It is important in times like these to remember there have always been times like these." I think I care little whether the general public knows the exact numbers and exact figures. What is important is if we believe deep down that we should be there at all, and show our support by voting those into power who share those ideals. Personally, I do and I still think it was the right, (but now very unpopular), move, but we can't help but grow numb to the sheer amount data that is flowing in. That doesn't mean we don't care. I think about them several times every single day. I read most their stories on CNN, and I watch some of their missions on the military channel. Many of us GET it and still support it 100%.

At any rate, I grow so tired of hearing "Anti-war" this, and "anti-war" that. Boy, war sure is worthless..... except that it seems to have a pretty good track record when it comes to removing dictatorships, abolishing slavery, Nazism, fascism, and even for gaining Independence from a King who has a Parliament that thinks it has a right to do as it pleases with it's colonies.

Dallas, TX

Maybe if Jeremiah Wright preached a sermon about the true problems that have been sewn by our government, about the the very real moral bankruptcy of an administration that has allowed its friends to make millions, even biliions of dollars, while sending the children of other americans to die in in an unnecessary war of choice, payed for by borrowing on the backs of those same children, maybe then the media would focus on the real scourge of this coutry – the fools and charlatans running our foreign policy. The Neo CONs from PNAC: Project for a Never-ending American Catastrophe.

I bet no one knows how many people die from abortions each year. Its around 1.2 MILLION. Makes the war in IRAQ seem like a day at the beach.

The importance of the American public being "aware" comes down to one thing – functionally speaking.

When the troops are not received well at home OR are received well and then have to settle back in without any follow up efforts from society – that is what leads them to leave the Armed Services.

The military is currently using Reservists to a great degree in order to save money. Essentially when you take into account retirement etc. a Resevist is 70% cheaper than a full time "employee" – meaning a 24/365 Soldier/Sailor/Marine/Airman or Coast Guardsman.

When those Reservists have to fight to keep their jobs or have to fight to get the promotion they expected or have to fight to integrate themselves back into society because no one is "conscious" of the difficulty associated with "switching on and switching off" then they will choose to go once and then they will say it's too much.

The DOD right now is expecting to use Reservists more and more over time. This can be confirmed. Reservists are "part time" labor.

The functional consequence of the American public not being "aware" is that the DOD's plans are going to run into a dead end.

Is this going to bankrupt the military? Probably not.. but right now the big guys in all the services are putting an awful lot of their eggs in one basket relative to Reservists.

Public awareness of the heavy burden that puts on folks who are trying to live a civilian life too, will be critical to military preparedness in the future. This is due to the force shaping decisions that have already been made at the Pentagon.

The Military Times webpage entitled Honor the Fallen has photos, bios and cause of death of 4,455 US troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan at the time of their deaths. How is it that only 3,992 get reported by cnn, time, abcnews, etc.??? 463 families of dead troops unrecognized. Unintentional mistake? Deliberate omission? Disgusting for certain.

Jack, let me put this question to you: How dangerous is it that many Americans (about 50% anyway) seem incapable of rational, independent thought and judgement? Not to mention that many don't seem to care about much of anything unless it directly affects their pocketbooks and personal lives. I am astonished to hear comments on news programs today such as "who would have thought we would still be in Iraq today after five years"... duh!! Even if Hussein would have had WMD's, the invasion of Iraq was never justified. This will go down as the one of the biggest mistakes ever made by our country. Gary, Seattle

How dangerous is it that there was never a call by the populous to investigate evidence at Ground Zero? (This isn't about the 9.11 Commission, only the sweep-it-under the rug clean-up.) I would add 2,800 to the 4,000 'war' deaths because these after all are related. No 9.11, no invasion of Iraq.

Of course withdrawal will no evaporate all opposition. That's a ludicrous statement. As long as this country upholds its belief in freedom of religion & liberty then we'll ALWAYS have opposition. But to use this as an argument to STAY in Iraq is completely moronic. Bring our troops home and start focusing on matters at home: our collapsing economy, violence, education, you name it. It all matters more than this war.

It is critical the public is kept aware of the national treasure,(our men & women in uniform), that have died in Iraq to prop up a dysfunctional and corrupt government half way around the world, with a thousand years of religious and tribal strife, and will fall after we leave whether it be 1 year or ten years from now. Their HISTORY demands it.

The question is asked in a very skewed way. It makes judgments that are presented as unproven flat assertions (opinions) and then asks for comments on those unproven flat assertions (opinions).

We lost almost as many men in 30 minutes on the beaches of Omaha. The fact we have taken two sovereign countries and lost so few should be the discussion taking place.

People are clueless. The media creates problems that do not exist in reality.

Jack I respect you and think you are a straight shooter and one who tries to tell it like it is, but the way it appears sometimes is that you and others as a part of the media, are very much controlled in which and how you deliver information to the American public. I am a news junkie and have witnessed many omissions and unasked questions on subject matters important to us. eg...why is there money sitting in Swiss bank accounts and why Iraq is not being rebuilt with the oil revenues from their reserves. You may report the facts (once) but you don't follow up on the answers. This is very important..Where has all the money gone? Who is getting rich off this war? Who does it really benefit? The American people need to be better informed. Only then will we be able to make good decisions as to the neccessaity of this effort or how to resolve it. Also Wolf Blitzer has not appeared so happy lately, since reconizing the possibility of a actual Obama potential presidential win. After Obama's initial surprise showing during "super tuesday" there was noticeable dissapointment coming from Wolf''s and Bill's (S) personalites. After this, there was an not too subtle effort to help senator Clinton regain her momentum via more advice (political counsultants) to her, as to what she could do to beat Obama. Please report the news and not try to create it. That said you are still my favorite and I trust in your words.

Iraqi Freedom...freedom from what?? What is the reason we are sending our sons and daughters to die and/or worse to be tragically maimed for life? What does win the war mean? We need to see the actual photos of the real war and then let the people of this nation decide when enough is enough.

I think it is the job of free press to keep the country updated. Since the questionable success of "Surge" and the emergence of election politics as top story, the press has stopped updating the people on the issue. Off course we can not expect from Cheney-Bush to update us!!

If you have seen the inflation in the economy lately you can see why people are focused on other things. Diesel has just recently went up to $5 a gallon in my neighborhood and that is troubling for me since I'm a truck driver and my company has just started recently laying people off. I had just recently received a raise.

The lack of awareness is not the fault of the media, the information is out there for anyone to find. It is the responsibility of any one person to keep themselves informed of recent events. If the collective state can find out what is happening with Ms. Hilton and Mrs. Spears then they should be able to find recent information on the War in Iraq and Afganistan. The sad truth is that people are used to the turmoil overseas and they would rather spend their time being entertained than informed.

"Any time the American people are kept in the dark it is dangerous for America. We can largely blame our media if we do not have the information."

Untrue!
Witholding information saved a lot of lives during WWII when the Japanese were sending thousands of incinderary bombs to the Pacific Northwest.

Don't fool yourselves into thinking that majority of Americans are intelligent.

Heart felt condolences to the familes of people who have lost lives in Iraq and elsewhere. Few things that come to mind...
1: we – Americans forgot the basics of life – "violence never resolves matters – worsens it"
2: we – Americans, were the first ones to use WMDs in Japan (may be with favorable results but used it never the less and opened the gates for use of such technology of mass destruction)
3: we – Americans allowed senior Bush admin to go to war in 1991 in Kuwait.
4: we – Americans didnt learn from our earlier mistake and yet voted junior Bush into the government for second term again to show support for government's actions (note: we get government that we deserve).
FInally: we the Americans, residents of the world superpower, forgot the fact that with great power comes great responsibility. We, as a superpower should be responsible for fostering world peace and find ways to resolve matters amicably.
Isnt it time that we learn from our mistakes and own the responsibility along with the government and make changes – not just talk about it?
One last comment – soldiers are heroes but so are countless first responders – cops, firefighters, medics who do this on a daily basis to save lives. God bless America and show us the right path in the trouble times.

Dangerous for us to not be aware of the losses in Iraq? Have we EVER been aware of the sacrifices and losses in Iraq, NO! We the American people have not had to sacrifice ANYTHING for this war we drive our SUV's and enjoy the things that have allowed us to become a LAZY nation. This country and its people are obvlivious to the sacrifices our soldiers make. And so are our politicians, according to John McCain we should keep them there and let them keep dieing for a country that isn't even trying to help itself! Good Bye Iraq, we'll see you the next time your people allow a vicious dictator to take control of your country.

Who would have thought that we'd still be in Iraq after all this time? Everyone.

The Bush White House has made it very clear they do NOT want Americans to see Iraqi war coffins coming back on planes, nor do they want to honor the fallen Americans in some public way.

Forget the billions of dollars the war has cost taxpayers when it could go to fund homes, health care for the poor and educational programs that will help all of us.

Forget the nearly 4000 soldiers who have died. The prime of our young men and women. Those who care about our freedom and are ready to fight for our liberty. Forget the 80,000 Iraqi civilians who have died as a result of this war.

We are fighting Al-Queda? Think again. We are making our country a better place to live? We are humane in how we treat prisoners? We are not into offense, but rather defense in America? We care about the health and welfare of our population? We care how our allies view us and we care about world peace? Yeah, think again.

Most Americans couldn’t find Iraq on the Map. McCain doesn’t know anything about Iraq. Quote”Well, it’s common knowledge and has been reported in the media that Al Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran. That’s well known.” And this the man who thinks he should be The Commander In Chief. He doesn’t know the difference between a Shiite and, well take out the third letter and the last one.

Jack –
Both ignorance – and distorted information in the form of spin-mongering by some media members present more danger to a democracy than terrorism itself. Please try to use your influence to convince the media industry to cool it on the "info-tainment" – and the biased reporting (the latter of which Fox News best exemplifies.) Ask them to respect us – their customers – more than that. Give us the facts, and maybe we'll all listen more. BTW – I like YOUR kind of reporting, and wish we had more of it!

J. FitzGerald
Fremont, CA

A "blind America is a dangerous American." When people live the dark about whats goping on around them, then they truely doing more damage then good due to the fact that they do not care and when you have a bunch of who do not care anything can happen. unconstitutional laws can be passed, government officials can get away with unjust things. and its the people fault. but not its the people fault, the media has a large roll as well. when the media only certain things repeatedly, then that we expect to see and thats what the media does. we hardly get the full story about issues that affects us as a whole. when the media starts doing a better job then the amount of informed amricans will rise

Not dangerous at all Jack!

Americans stopped caring about important issues a long time back. It appears that we only pay attention to issues once they swell and completely blow up in our faces causing us to feel enormous pain. Issues like 9/11, the recession, ridiculously rising gas prices, and the mortgage crises have in all actuality existed far before they hit critical mass. But we never deal with issues until they harm us personally. This is why we are viewed so badly overseas. Foreigners see us as blindly arrogant because we are never aware of the world around us. We are too busy focusing on Britney Spears.

Isaac Paul
Chicago, IL

I think it is extemely dangerous that Americans are not kept informed of or that Americans have not kept the loss of life, number of casualties and cost of this war (police action) in the fore front of their concern. Let us not lose our focus on what is most important to the well being of our troops and our country. If Americans don't continue to challenge our leaders daily, to press this administration and potitcal candidates to end this waste, we could see these deaths casualties and the massive expense continue, like Vietnam, for years.

I think instead of complaining about the lack of knowledge our media hands out we should take it upon ourselves to spread the word after all our media is as corrupted as our current president. I myself will be standing in my downtown area with a sign saying "500 billion dollars, 4000 dead Thank you Mr. President" this weekend since there is little I can do. What happend to the idea of protests do we really think our opinion just doesn't matter anymore. Democratic goverment? i don't think so.

My wife and I are 15 year veterans of the military, and I am serving in Iraq at this time. I see lot of people saying that he media is not covering the war like they should, and the press is spending to much time covering the presidential elections. I believe the media should be focusing on the elections, because our next president has a lot of things on his plate, and we need to get it right this time. Every life lost in the war is tragic, but that is what we signed up for. Our job is war, and We swore that we would defend the Consitution and support the President whether we voted for him, or agree with this war. I did not vote for Presidnt Bush nor do I agree with why we invaded Iraq. But I take my job seriously, and will back him up 100% . If that means a blue sedan arrivng at my door and informing my family of my death, at least know that I died doing what I loved. At this time I feel it would be a disaster if we were to start withdrawing troops from this region. This country is not ready yet, and we need to finish what we started ABOVE ALL.

This adminstration put a hush on the troops coming returning from the war in caskets, so the American public would not see the casualites of war, So that he American public would not to repeat an antiwar sentaments of Vietnam war era. Also the news media has taken the focus off the war because it does not sell with the American Public.

I salute you Jack
a reminder is a prophet. and thank you for reminding people that the war is the economy. and the war is the elections . and if people give little attention to what going on with the war and the presence of McCain and cheny ad the same time ( coincidence)
and meeting with Israelis and not Palestinian That would make the voter think about who would be the next president and how the economy will change according to the change of the way the war is going.
Thank you jack and Woolf
sign
An American Voter

The awareness of Americans about losses is not dangerous because of its insignificance towards contributing to any argument. When a country is in a just war there strategy will not be affected by the losses. The media controls what the people think about by their introduction of topics. The publics’ limited knowledge is due to the media’s coverage. The more war soars the more gore shores.

What can you expect from a population whose educational system is so atrocious that some universities found it necessary to offer remedial courses in English and mathematics; whose high school graduates know very little, if anything, about history; whose media devote enormous amount of time and space to what is euphemistically referred to as "celebrities"?

It's not a matter of being concerned about the war – I'm bored with it – bored with IT and Bush's same old antics and words and his wanting to go into Iran in the WORST sort of way before he leaves The White House – I am concerned however about the troups there which is why I why I want this to end – or why not let Bush and the other politicians send their kids there as troups?

It is truly sad that the American forces have lost some 4,000 folks, with many more injured or traumatized from being in this conflict. Does the general American media or public for that matter, understand that there are an estimated 1 million of Iraq's that have been killed in the 5 years since the invasion...... Is that a news worthy item at 6PM for the news stations? Leaving them with no security, understandable anger, and total chaos.

How about $3 Trillion dollars divided by 4000 people killed plus 30,000 injured to get to this point. That means spending about $88 Million between each injury or death. I think that they could have fed the world for years for that amount of money……

Americans are becoming less aware of U.S. losses in Iraq because the guilt on both sides is too great. Those for the war cannot face their blood soaked hands and those against it bear the burden of not fighting hard enough to replace Cheney/Bush in the last election. We all bear the guilt!

It is sad how me, a Japanese-Canadian, knows more about the Iraq war than the people of the country that started it. It is a testimony to the American's lack of faith in the war, and the failure of the Bush Administration.

We've got viagra and anti depressants in our drinking water. People no longer seek the news out. It seeks them out. It's like an Outer Limits episode. The few controlling the many via misinformation. Let's not forget how desensitized we've become. Go check out Nancy Grace. Does she ever report anything pleasant? Death is news but you need a story. They've decided a soldier running over a roadside mine is no longer newsworthy. "They've" decided college students being murdered has a better plot. Why can't they ever show something positive?

It is extremely important that Americans know everything about what is happening in Iraq, politically and militarily, including the number of good men and women who have given their lives in this war. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. The American public has the power to either change or continue Iraq policy through the power of the vote. But they can only do so with the full and clear knowledge of what is actually happening in Iraq and the surrounding region and understanding all the potential consequences of either continuuing our presence there or withdrawing. Because this is such an important issue, every network/cable station needs to make an "Iraq update" a part of every newscast, regardless of the other news of the day.

Mr. Cafferty,
It is dangerous for the United States citizens to be incompetant about the facts of the 500 billion Bush-Cheney war agenda...to completely ignore the facts of how the war started, the lack of a plan and shameful attempt to connect 911 to Iraq by the administration. You know the old saying "Not In My Back Yard"...that is what is happening here with U.S. citizens. When people lose their job, house, and government funds for schools, roads and basic services, not to mention possibly paying $5.00 per gallon of gas, maybe everyone here in the U.S. will wake up...that is the dangerous road the United States people are unaware they are driving on.
Greg T
Virginia

The less coverage that Americans see the less coverage that al quaeda sees....duh....maybe this is why the surge is working! Maybe they are starting to give up because they aren't getting enough publicity!

The problem is what will they do to get more publicity? Another terroist attack on America would work, wouldn't it? Quite a conundrum. I doubt that Americans should be deciding the fighting of a war by what they view on television. Television is for entertainment not information. I think the news is quite entertaining. Soldiers fight wars because they are trained to fight it. Presidents we elect make the decisions to go fight the wars and congress funds the wars we fight. It seems to me we have to allow the politicians to make the decisions and just tell us why. That is representative government.

Now take a look at our politicians and how well they are doing working together on this. Now that is something for television because that is very scary which would make for entertainment kind of like the Halloween movies.

Dangerous enough to have another president elected. A president who will be taking us to another war with Iran.
God help us!

Americans risk not choosing correctly or not knowing the whole picture in November and that is something that mustn’t happen as votes cast without people being fully informed are dangerous votes.

Their is a simple solution; everyone who is in favorof the war, grab a helment and a rifle and get on a plane headed for IRAQ. I am sure that the troops will appreciate the help.

I served six years with the Marine Corps and can tell you that we would have been happy to have the help. I can also tell you that being shot at isn't much fun. Let those who are in favor of war be in the war. That should make everyone happy.

Does anyone believe that we will cause a change in the minds of the people of the middle east. They have not changed in thousands of years and now they are going to become one big happy family? I think not.

It is very, very sad Jack that so many young lives are gone and for what! We have to keep up the fight to end this thing and not let apathy run it's course...time is short, life is priceless!

Americans have become so enamoured with the right wing spinning this war as a just war that they need to understand that no war can be deemed a good war. Multiple thousands of innocent people are dying.

If the citizens demand that these politicians are forced to send their sons and daughters to fight this war then they would be screaming holy hell when the dead and wounded are some of their own.

I'am not sure jack but don't ask chenney he will just say "so" as you know he does not care what the american public thinks or says or feels but you publicans will find out.

Which is worse? To be uninformed when the media doesn't spend so much time on Iraq, or misinformed when it does. Americans are longing for the day when we can trust the media to report all the facts, not just the facts that fit an agenda. For now you can call yourself the most "trusted" name in news, but until you are willing to give us the whole truth, the quotes around trusted will have to remain. You aren't as smart as you believe and we're not as dumb as you think.

The reason Jack is bringing up this question is because the IAVA has put them and the rest of the media on notice for not talking about what is going on in Iraq. With out the support of the media our country will fail. Unfortunatly the media is beholdened to special interest and not public interest. The truth is not being explained to the public by the news media. I suggest you people go to the IAVA website and get their view point. Get involved before it is to late.

I hope those 94% of Americans who don't seem to be concerned sleep well, as I'm sure the families of our Service Men and Women who died don't and I extend my personal sympathy to those familes of the brave Men and Women who followed orders dished out from behind a desk and walls.

CORRECTED We should be embarrassed that polls show Americans are more concerned about the economy than the Bush war policy and its horrendous consequences. Our selfishness is all too apparent to the world which sees us as nothing more than a bully. At least Americans see the Bush policy as contibuting to economic woes. But that does not justify our complacency about the Bush policy in Iraq. As a Vietnam Veteran I wonder why are the campusus and the country so quiet about the Iraq policy disaster. Maybe a sagging economy will get us all focused on just how much this war is costing all of us.

The amount of souldiers killed and wounded is never acceptable and to add the 80,000 Iraq's killed during the war was not by US troops but by Al queda and insurgents , still Saddam has killed more of his own people into the hundreds of thousands . Never reported is how many of the enemy is killed and wounded compared to our souldiers . That number is triple compared to ours but the left wing media doesn't report progress ...

I guess the War just can't provide the ratings that Britney and Spitzer's prostitute do when it has been forbidden by this administration for the media to show the body bags and Coffins of our brave men and women coming home. Since the media won't show the war as it is then "if it bleeds then it leads" goes out the window.
There is no mainstream NEWS in this country. Demagogues and pundits deliver polarizing diatribes of opinionated claptrap on the important issues using skewed statistics, but no NEWS. As long as television news is tied to ratings it will be worthless to the American people and any true discourse on the war in Iraq or any other important issue. We as Americans are adrift without a rudder, map, or compass.

When are we going to realize our millions of tax dollars would be better spent in the US? I am one of millions of responsible working middle-Americans that can't suck it up any more to get by. The more I sacrifice the more I lose. I guess George W. and his cohorts will escape this mess, but the rest of us, who thought we were doing the best for ourselves and our families, have lost out. I can't afford to drive to work anymore.

I believe Americans are well aware of the losses and they are disgusted that even one has died! This question just shows how out of tune with real Americans the bought and paid for media is. Yes there is great focus on the elections and the fact there isn't one decent candidate running... That's right the only people running are the sammo sammo, quite sickening really. This country has had an extraordinary amount of damage done to it and it's people, and although the current administration has done an enormous amount of damage they are not the only administration to have done so.. All Americans need to shout, scream and demand that any candidate running conform to these words "for the people by the people" not lobbyist, not family, not friends and definitely not party!

If Americans are less aware of Iraq losses, and they without a doubt are, it's CNN's and all the other mainstream medias that are responsible. The deaths in Iraq have barely been reported so who do you think you're kidding. The old media (you guys) are worthless and then you try and spin the truth in unbelievable deceptive ways. Fact is, if more people know about the death of Keith Ledger it's because that's all you media whores talked about for 3 days straight. We know you don't give a damn about America, none of you! You answer to your corporate masters. Get ready for the NEW media...because it's coming!

E A Richardson

philadelphia has averaged close to 400 murders per year in the past 5 years, that is 2,000 for a city of 1.5 million in 5 years versus 4,000 in a country of 12 million. that puts my city alone at a 4 to 1 rate versus iraq. The U.S. in that same time period has averaged close to 17,000 murders a year in a country of 300 million, that is 85,000 of our own citizens dying at the hands of each other, maybe we should focus on our own problems and pay more attention to the drugs and crime on our streets. Iraq is a problem but pales in comparison, stop making it an election issue.

there is nothing to moderate. Thank You

The media was totally in on the lies that got our nation into this illegal war, and now they do everything to keep Americans uninformed,
This weekend on Free Speech TV ( Democracy Now with Amy Goodman) they had the Winter Solder testimony's (back in 1971 they had the first Winter Soldier Vietnam Vets) our brave young soldier's one after another got up and told their story's,, the media does an awful job telling the truth about the Iraq War,, you can get on your computer and Google Democracy Now, and listen to their testimony's, please go and listen.
When good people our silent about something has evil as this war, their our evil too.
After you hear their testimony's, we will knew the truth about Iraq,, Wake up lazy America!!!!!!!

hey jack I would see the news everyday about Iraq and I hear the story change from wmd to Iraq freedom and when people the voters say something they are ignore and called unpatriot well i guest that answered your question

The 6% of voters who have forgotten about Iraq is frightening.
I have been certain no Republican who espouses Bush's policies and the Iraq war, could possibly be elected again. Lately, I'm not so sur4 and it scares me. Apparently, no one cares. The days of protest are gone. . . segregation, the Vietnam war. The only people screaming are people like you and Lou Dobbs. This country is in a stupor.
Odile LaComb
Massena, New York

Not that dangerous considering that the media i.e. you guys at CNN spend too much time "reporting" on nonsignifcant media reports (and I state media not news) like Heath Ledger, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears rather then important issues that actually have an affect on people's lives. I thought it was the job and responsibility of the news to transmit such important information i.e. casulties of war, Tibet, Darfur, etc to the mass public rather then a Govenor's mistress's video history, the lastest low-down on Facebook, or who is wearing what at the Oscars. The more dangerous fact is not the level of knowledge of the American people but the obsurdity that the media with all its resources can't do a simple job of informing people with a number.

I will avoid stumbling into the political debate surrounding the War in Iraq, and instead I will focus on the singular fact surrounding the loss of our troops.

It is no where near as important to keep track of the number of American soldiers dead and wounded as it is to keep track of when these deaths occurred. It is more important for the American public to know that we lost almost half of our current KIAs during the first two years of this now five-year-old war.

While your question reduces our servicemen and women to a number, let us continue down your track and reduce them even further to statistics. It is therefore important for the American public to know that this war has seen the fewest average deaths per month than any war in the previous century.

God Bless our troops and their families and those whom they defend, at home and abroad, and let us pray that the media keeps facts and information in the proper perspective and context and refrains from taking a sensationalist dive.

You seem like a very smart man Mr. Cafferty and I like your style. However, I find the percentages of people following the election, war, etc. very misguided by CNN. I think you will find that the percentages of people interested in the election (36%) and those interested in the war (6%) are a direct corrilation to the amount of time spent by CNN (and others) reporting on same. Intelligence distates that the public looking at television news, is pretty much as the mercy of the networks, when it comes to how much time they spend on one subject or another. So for CNN to be amazed by the relative few that are following the war (and not concerned about the loss of life or the billions in cost), will be in direct proportion to the amount of time CNN spend on those subjects. If CNN changes their coverage percentages, the American percentages will move accordingly.

That shows it's the Bush's war and not the American, even though it is fought with the taxpayers' Dollars and American lifes. It is as dangerous as leaving the republicans in the White House after january.