The Battlefront: Calculus of Death

Bush's decision on if and when to start the land war hinges on factors involving a grisly estimate of killed and wounded

"The number of Americans killed will exceed tens of thousands if a ground battle occurs with Iraqi forces . . . which are trained in defensive combat to an extent that no other force in the world has reached."

-- Baghdad Radio

Boastful propaganda? Of course, but with just enough potential truth to haunt George Bush for days to come. The President, his generals and allies emphasized last week that he alone will make the fateful decisions whether and when to start a ground offensive -- a campaign that Baghdad Radio says Iraq "is waiting impatiently" to fight. But if he...

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