NEW YORK Reporters for several years now have occasionally asked White House spokesmen about the rising death toll in Iraq in the context of few if any children of top administration officials, including the president, serving in the war. Usually these queries are ignored or declared out of order. But today, Tony Snow in this afternoon's press briefing responded by saying that, actually, the president himself "is in the war."

Asked about Bush's statement that we had to expect many more casualties in the months ahead, Snow said, "The President wishes that nobody had to die. This is something that is deeply personal. He quite often meets with families of those who have been wounded and killed.

"On the other hand, the real question is, what happens if the United States walks away? And the answer is that many, many more people will be washed away in needless bloodshed as forces of terror draw confidence and encouragement from the fact that we will not have finished the job

A reporter, Helen Thomas, then said: "I have one follow-up. Are there any members of the Bush family or this administration in this war?"

Snow replied: "Yes, the President. The President is in the war every day."

Q. "Come on. That isn't my question."

SNOW: "If you ask any President who is a Commander-in-Chief --

Q "On the front lines?"

SNOW: "The President."

Earlier this year, Laura Bush, asked about casualties and suffering families, said “no one suffers more than their President and I do.”

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