I don't ignore it. Nor do I dismiss it as of no importance. I just am not making it the core criteria for the success of the military operation or the rebuilding effort, and only a fool would.

Policemen die. So do firefighters. Should we quit both activities? After all, there will never be an end to crime or fires. Tens of thousands of people die in traffic accidents. Should driving be made illegal?

You see, your basic premise is that the Iraqi effort is futile to begin with, unlike firefighting or police work, so the lives lost are also futile. If your basic premise is not true, the other doesn't stand up either.

At some point, almost all the casualties will be Iraqi. Many are now. Hopefully, at this point, once it becomes obvious to everyone that the guerillas are tyrants, not "anti-American patriots," there will be enough Iraqi pressure on the Baathists to wipe them out once and for all.