Bush spokesman calls 2,500 war dead a 'sad benchmark'

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Bush spokesman calls 2,500 war dead a 'sad benchmark'

WHITE HOUSE -- "It's a number." That's the reaction from White House press secretary Tony Snow to word that 2,500 American soldiers have died since the Iraq war began.

The sobering number comes from the Pentagon. Officials didn't say who the 2,500th victim was or where or when the death occurred.

Calling it a "sad benchmark," Snow says President Bush "very deeply" feels the pain of those families. But he's reiterating Bush's insistence that those sacrifices won't be in vain.

The military also says nearly 18,500 troops have been wounded in action since the US invaded Iraq in March of 2003. Of those, more than 45 percent never returned to duty.