The Des Moines Register dubs Afghanistan a "quagmire" because more than 60 U.S. servicemen have died there. The U.S. Army Web site reports that in that branch of the military alone, 178 people died in accidents in fiscal 2003. The Office of the Secretary of Defense links to a chart (PDF form) of total U.S. mliitary casualties world-wide. In 2000-- before the intervention in Afghanistan--they numbered 774, of which more than half were accidental. In 2002, the total casualty figure was up to 1,007, again more than half accidental.

NJLawman.com reports that as of today, 71 American law-enforcement officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. For all of 2002, the figure was 152. Would the Register recommend giving up on law enforcement because it's a "quagmire"?

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