In a recent statement Nancy Pelosi bemoaned the price of the Iraq war where we have so far lost 2,500 lives and which may cost more than one trillion dollars before it is over.

Ms. Pelosi needs to be reminded that on 9/11 we lost more than 3,000 lives and nearly two trillion  in treasure.

In other words, our losses during the three years we have been at war are less than the damage we sustained in the space of three hours on 9/11.

While 9/11 was pure loss, we have gained much in Iraq. We removed from power a rabidly anti—American dictator and ensured that his country will never again posses WMDs that could be used against us. We have also established a beachhead of democracy in a region which is a breeding swamp for the kind of Islamic fanatics that struck on 9/11. And in the Iraqi people and their government we have acquired a close friend and ally in the war of terror. All this, we must remember, for less than the price of those three terrible hours.

One would hope that this would give a sense of perspective to Ms. Pelosi and all those who lament in her vein. To claim that our costs in Iraq are becoming excessive is not only untrue, but also disingenuous. We paid far more on 9/11 with nothing to show for but agony and tears, whereas the price of our success in Iraq will go a long way toward ensuring that another 9/11 will not happen again.

Vasko Kohlmayer   6 16 06