Is it administration policy now to distance itself from American casualties in Iraq?
DR. RICE: The President is the commander-in-chief. He cannot distance himself from American casualties. These are the men and women in uniform who he commands. And he feels acutely every loss. He understands that he is asking the American Armed Forces and American families to make great sacrifices. But the fact is that nothing of value has ever been won without sacrifice. We lost 3,000 lives on one day on September 11th. That’s the magnitude of the threat that we face. The President said to the nation just a few days later that we’re going to have to go on offense, fight them on their own territory. We cannot fight this as a defensive war. And that’s what we’re doing. And, yes, there will be losses because we’re on the offense. But if we’re not on the offense, terrorism will continue to haunt us well, well, well into the future and for generations to come. And so the sacrifices that are being made today are critical to the future of American security. Q Dr. Rice, thanks very much for y
