Editor and Publisher notes that today is the five year anniversary of ‘bring ’em on,’ the infamous statement President Bush made during the early stages of the Iraq war. Bush made the remark after being asked about increasing violence in Iraq:
Q: [W]ith the attacks on U.S. forces and the casualty rates rising, what is the administration doing to get larger powers, like France and Germany and Russia, to join the American occupation there? […]
BUSH: Let me finish. There are some who feel like — that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring ’em on. We’ve got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.
E&P adds that on the day of the “bring ’em on” comment, Travis J. Bradachnall, a corporal in the Marines, was killed in an explosion during a mine clearing operation near the city of Karbala. Since the remark, over 3,900 American troops have been killed in Iraq. Bush has since said he regrets the “tough talk.” (HT: Atrios)