HOW MANY MORE MUST BE SACRIFICED ON THE BLOODY ALTAR OF YOUR PERVERSE EGO, MR. BU$H? HOW MANY MORE?

U.S. helicopter crash caused by hostile fire: report

The U.S. military helicopter that crashed outside Baghdad, killing all 12 on board, was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile, CNN reported on Monday.

The Black Hawk was most likely brought down on Saturday by hostile fire, according to unidentified U.S. officials cited by CNN. The crash was still under investigation but debris recovered on the ground indicate a missile was involved, CNN said.

Twenty U.S. troops were killed on Saturday in one of the deadliest days for the American military in Iraq.

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Opposition to Escalation Continues to Rise; Public Trusts Congress Over Bush

El Presidente Bush will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday at the weakest point of his presidency, with public opposition to his plan for escalation in Iraq having risen from 61% to 65% since he first unveiled it 10 days ago, and overall approval ratings that match his lowest since taking office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The public was also found to overwhelmingly favor congressional leadership on the Iraq war over that of Bush, by a margin of 60% to 33%. [Acknowledgements in part to Air America Radio.]