Not being old enough to remember the Vietnam War, we've often wondered how more than one administration could escalate a war while at the same time refusing to supply an adequate number of troops to accomplish the task at hand.

Now we know.

Can't remember the calibrated justifications put forth by Robert McNamara? Just listen to his Bush II counterpart:

On the bloodiest day for the U.S. military in more than seven months, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld insisted yesterday that the Bush administration's plan to improve security in Iraq was on track, with no need for additional U.S. troops as Iraqis are quickly trained to fill any manpower gaps.

"In a long, hard war, we're going to have tragic days, as this is," Rumsfeld said on ABC's "This Week." "But they are necessary. They are part of a war that's difficult and complicated." ("Rumsfeld: No Need For More U.S. Troops" via the Washington Post)

So the families of the 238 American soldiers who have died since Bush declared an end to the Iraq war can take solace in this: war is complicated, tragedy is necessary. We regular citizens just don't get it.