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http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-cole24sep24.story COMMENTARY
If the War Were in the U.S. ...
Last week alone, more than 3,000 Americans would have been killed.
By Juan Cole
Juan Cole is a history professor at the University of Michigan. This article originally appeared on his website.
September 24, 2004
President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis were refuting the pessimists, and he implied that things were improving in that country.
What would the United States look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the U.S. is more than 11 times that of Iraq's, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number.
Violence killed 300 Iraqis last week; the equivalent, proportionately, of 3,300 Americans. What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings, grenade and rocket attacks, machine gun spray and aerial bombardments in just one week? That is a number greater than the deaths on Sept. 11.
And what if those deaths occurred all over the country, mostly in the capital of Washington, but also in Boston, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and San Francisco?
What if the grounds of the White House and the government buildings near the Mall were constantly taking mortar fire and those inside were fearful of stepping outside?
What if all the reporters for the major television and print media were trapped in five-star hotels in Washington and New York, unable to move more than a few blocks safely and dependent on stringers to know what was happening in Oklahoma City and St. Louis? What if the only time they ventured into the Midwest was if they could be embedded in Army or National Guard units?<snip>
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