Remember

I used to check the icasualties.org site regularly during the worst of Iraq war, but I gradually put it aside as the war and/or war news slowed down. When I checked again on Memorial Day, the number of U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan since the war began in October 2001 was 1,598. Today it's 1,600.

Meanwhile, the WaPo reported on the Afghanistan war-funding debate in Washington. The U.S. military is expected to spend $113 billion on Afghan operations this year and wants $107 billion for next year. "Where we're at right now is simply not sustainable," an anonymous Obama administration official told the Post.

Military bases in Afghanistan continue to expand, the story notes, even though the U.S. is expected to begin withdrawing troops next month.

Recent supplemental appropriations to fund the war, which have included billions of dollars for construction and equipment, “have been like crack” cocaine for the military, said one officer in southern Afghanistan.“We’ve become addicted to building.”