Reaching another grim milestone was inevitable in a war with no end in sight.

The U.S. death toll in Iraq reached 4,000 on Monday, just days after the war entered its sixth year. Many more thousands of young Americans have been seriously wounded at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for some their lives will never be the same.

Yet during a recent video conference with U.S. military and civilian personnel about challenges in Afghanistan, President Bush had a disturbing take on that tragedy.

"I must say, I'm a little envious. ... If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. ... It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger."

U.S. troops at war face grave danger and tormenting uncertainty every day. To call the experience "fantastic," "exciting" or "romantic" is more proof of the president's disconnect with reality when it comes to war.

Compare Bush's careless remarks to thoughts of President Eisenhower, a war hero who served as supreme commander of the Allied forces in Western Europe during World War II.

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity," Eisenhower said.

Bush did have an opportunity as a younger man to engage in the "romantic" action of war. A Texas Air National Guard fighter pilot, he instead managed to miss duty in Vietnam, and his Guard drill attendance record was questionable.

Now, as commander in chief -- the man responsible for sending young men and women into harm's way -- Bush apparently is so unfazed by the horror of war that he sees it as "romantic." That's not only shocking, it's also insulting to U.S. troops who sacrifice so much.

There is, of course, great honor in serving the nation. The commitment and contributions of U.S. veterans and their families are unparalleled.

But anyone who sees romance in war has watched too many John Wayne movies -- and has no business calling the shots when lives are at stake.