The Death Toll Continues: Bush Vacations

The horror continues in Iraq:

Fourteen Marines Killed in Bombing
CNN: Wednesday 03 August 2005

Fighting in northwest Iraq claims lives of 21 Marines in 3 days.
Baghdad - Fourteen Marines and a civilian interpreter were killed Wednesday when their amphibious assault vehicle struck an improvised explosive device about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Haditha, Iraq, military officials said. A Marine was also injured. The Marines were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division.

Wednesday's attack follows the killings of six Marines Monday in Haditha, which is in northwest Iraq. Another Marine was killed in a suicide car bombing in nearby Hit on Monday, the Marine Corps said.

This week's Marine deaths brought the number of American troops killed in the Iraq war to more than 1,800, according to U.S. military reports.

Meanwhile, the Commander in Chief is on an almost 5-week vacation at his fake ranch. No doubt he'll do alot of brush clearing for the cameras and who knows what else:

The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially, in Crawford -- nearly 20 percent of his presidency to date, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio reporter known for keeping better records of the president's travel than the White House itself. Weekends and holidays at Camp David or at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, bump up the proportion of Bush's time away from Washington even further.