Lost amongst the news about AIG and it's bonuses yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq for colonization by the U.S. I like to call it colonization because we aren't leaving completely anytime soon.

President Bush told us it would be strictly to disarm then Iraqi strongman Sadam Hussein. He told us it would not cost more than $2.4 billion dollars and we would be greeted as liberators.

Today the death toll for U.S. military personnel stands at 4,259 with another 31,102 wounded. The loss to Iraqi civilians is over 91,000. The cost is currently believed to be $659 billion dollars and rising every day.

There are currently 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. President Obama campaigned on the promise of ending the Iraq war. 12,000 troops are scheduled to return home by September of this year. President Obama has said that all but 40 to 50,000 troops will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Let's hope he is good on his word on this one.

An interesting side note: The photos of the flag draped coffins of U.S. troops coming home were banned from the media by President Bush throughout the Iraq war so as not to draw attention to the casualties. President Obama lifted that ban believing that the troops coming home demanded the respect they deserved for the ultimate sacrifice for their country.