Missa in tempore bello

"It's a number, and every time there's one of these 500 benchmarks people want something." - White House Press Secretary Tony Snow on the 2,500th casualty in the Iraq war.

The bold print is, of course, mine. The Penitent Wagnerite does not (usually) comment on political issues, as they are so uncivilized as to be an affront to culture. However, statements like that of Mr. Snow are so noteworthy as to demand a comment, to wit:

In the American Civil War, commanders were tortured over heavy losses. In some battles, twice or thrice the number of total casualties in our current war fell. If our cause is no less right, shouldn't we be no less tortured?