As unbelievable as it may sound, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center (reported in the Washington Post, March 13th), only 28% of the public realizes that nearly 4000 US troops have been killed in the Iraq war. Nearly half thinks that the number is 3000. It is unclear whether those polled were asked how many Iraqis had been killed in the war.

When one stops to think about it, it is far from surprising that the number of people who are actually aware of the situation is so low. Consider for a moment that mainstream press attention on the war has declined significantly, particularly after the advent of the so-called troop surge. In addition, the mainstream media has conveyed the notion that violence is down and that the troop surge is working, almost to the point of leading one to believe that the combat side to the Occupation is over. Finally, as the poll does indicate, far more attention has been placed on the Presidential campaign of late, thus capturing the interest of much of the public.

To this let's add another point: the discussions/debates in the race for U.S. President seem to have avoided much discussion of the current situation in the war/occupation. On the Democratic side, Clinton and Obama have traded shots about who was really against the war; when; where; and how. They have both equivocated on when an actual withdrawal would take place, though Obama insists that he is prepared to carry out a withdrawal in the not too distant future.

McCain, on the other hand, believes that he has been proven correct in backing Bush's troop surge - and the war itself - and that we, the people of the USA (not to mention the people of Iraq), should be prepared to accept a US presence in Iraq for the next 100 years.

In neither case are the candidates discussing the reality of the war/occupation. Peace has not arrived in Iraq and, in fact, over the last several weeks, violence has increased. There has been little analysis as to whether the troop surge is working in reality, or whether it is more reflective of either a strategic or tactical retreat by the resistance. We are simply presented with a version of the current situation by the mainstream media that seems to indicate that the war is nearly over. And, with the failure of the candidates to re-center our attention on the war, it almost appears that things are really not that bad.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the war, and the number of U.S. dead approaches 4000 (with the Iraqi dead somewhere well between 100,000 – 400,000; many times more if one considers the number of dead during the pre-war period of sanctions and periodic US/British bombings), it is time to demand that all candidates for the U.S. Presidency address the dire situation in Iraq. With the growing economic crisis here at home, it is quite easy to be distracted from the war. And with the absence of a formal draft, it is even easier to think of the war as someone else's problem, until one considers the billions being spent in an illegal occupation, billions that could be used in so many productive ways both overseas and at home...

…Or until one considers those who have been killed because of a lie.

It is unacceptable that so many people in the USA would be oblivious to the realities of the Iraq occupation. In addition to the misinformation from the media, one must ask a tough question: do too many of us know as much as we feel comfortable knowing? In other words, is it not just that the media and the candidates are failing to supply us with accurate information, but that facing the reality of the crime is not something that we wish to undertake?

The candidates for national office have a special duty. I expect nothing from McCain other than saber-rattling. For the Democratic candidates, however, a higher standard must be demanded, particularly given their respective - and inconsistent - criticisms of the war and occupation. Insofar as Clinton and Obama fail to remind the public of the criminality that unfolds each day in Iraq and its implications both for the USA and Iraq, they become complicit in this travesty. It also becomes more difficult to believe that they will actually do anything different than Bush if they fail to call out attention to the horror being committed in our name.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is Executive Editor of The Black Commentator. He is also a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies and the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum. Click here to contact Mr. Fletcher.