The American death toll in Iraq this year is more than 850, making it the deadliest year since the beginning of the war — though troop casualties have been declining since early summer.
U.S. military spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson told Associated Press that the deaths are part of the price tag attached to the surge that officials claim has stemmed violence in the country, making it essentially a trade-off between Iraqi civilian and American military lives.
“It’s due to the troop surge, which allowed us to go into areas that were previously safe havens for insurgents,†Danielson said. “Having more soldiers, and having them out in the communities, certainly contributes to our casualties.â€
Posted by Kristin Mehler
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40 Comments
Well my goodness, who would have ever thought that would happen…
Lets see here….if I increase my number of soldiers in the field where the enemy is shooting and bombing them…
Ahh Haa…Casualties ensue.
Graphhttp://bp1.blogger.com/_M2IC6-tsB1I/RujuKrPBkXI/AAAAAAAAAMc/iVsSb3-smPQ/s1600-h/Petraeus3.jpg
And then there is this…see Iraqi Christians and Muslims putting church back together mounting Cross back on top they had hidden.http://michaelyon-online.com/wp/thanks-and-praise.htm
The Parable of the Old Man and the Young
So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,And took the fire with him, and a knife.And as they sojourned both of them together,Issac, the first-born spake and said, My Father,Behold the preparations, the fire and iron,But where the lamb for this burnt offering?Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,And builded parapets and trenches there.And stretched forth the knife to slay his son.When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,Saying, Lay not a hand upon the lad,Neither do anything to him. Behold,A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.But the old man would not do so, but slew his son,And half the seed of Europe, one by one.
– Wilfred Owen
isn’t it kind of weird how the neo-cons seem to be pleased when american kids get killed or maimed in the wrong country?
the p.r. involved with the killing of american kids makes me sick.
Ok, so now publish all that good news, we’ve been hearing so much about! You know, the 3000 families that received 3000 $ apiece to return to baghdad.
The headline “Surge in US Military Deaths” is interesting.
The BBC had a video story using much of the same information, but chose this headline:
“Signs of progress in Iraq”
Their story begins, “As military and civilian casualty figures fall there is hope Iraq has reached a turning point in the battle for stability.”
It’s worth noting that the WE writer DID mention in the article that US deaths have been falling since early summer. Let’s see, that would be June, July, August, September, October, November… going on six months now that the numbers we all hate to see have been falling, yet the headline remains, “Surge in US Military Deaths.” Is this accurate, unbiased reporting? I’m not a journalist, so I guess I don’t know the “official” definitions of either “accurate” or “unbiased”, so perhaps this passes muster for journalists. But in my line of work, I’d be rightly fired for that.
If the editors would suggest that, indeed, US deaths did increase with the surge, which did occur, it would seem that some sort of time contextualization would be appropriate with the headline. Something along the lines of, “Deaths Initially Surge, Now Declining,” but all that was published was “Surge in Military Deaths.” I suppose an adequate number of facts appeared in the article so that, if one read it, rather than scanning headlines, one would know the truth. But there does seem to be something disturbing about the color scheme the editors use to paint the backdrop on which the facts appear. Certain information is highlighted in ominous red with heavy black outlines. Fair enough. But why is other information painted so lightly with pastel hues that one has to really study the picture in order to discover the truth because of the way it has been nuanced?
By the way, here’s the link from the BBC story, which I posted earlier in the Open Thread. I’m placing here again so that a comparison of reporting of the same information can be made.
saying:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7080000/newsid_7086200/7086213.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&ms3=54
David:SURELY . . . you’re not suggesting that the story doesn’t fit with the pre-conceived narrative about Iraq??? That the media has an agenda, or that the “narrative” is more important than the facts?
Say it ain’t so . . .
Their story begins, “As military and civilian casualty figures fall there is hope Iraq has reached a turning point in the battle for stability.”
Uh huh.
And the wife abuser stops beating his spouse.
As long as the cops are on the porch.
Time will tell if the bush handlers who made the Iraq mess can successfully sell an acceptable level of casualties in the Empire’s provinces to the American people. NOT the sort of math most enjoy. TOO they get the added political benefit of making the whole sorry mess the Democrats fault.
“June, July, August, September, October, November… going on six months now that the numbers we all hate to see have been falling”
http://icasualties.org/oif/US_chart.aspx
Actually, April, May, June and July of this year were high by historical standards.
June was the seventh highest month for fatalities since the war began and July was well above average.
August and September were well within the historical normal range. Only October is somewhat lower than average, but not at all the lowest.
See graph above.
Capn,
Would be comfortable with some sort of time context in the headline, or do you feel it was accurate?
We’ve turned so many corners in Iraq (all in the same direction), tht we’ve turned full circle more than once.
I checked your graph, Capn. Thanks for posting it.
You know, bar graphs can be quite handy in getting a visual representation of what’s actually happening. In the past, part of my job involved R&D, predictability, stability and trends. Having looked at the graph, I’m now convinced that the headline “Surge in Military Deaths” is certainly misleading, and is due to either (a) carelessness and ignoranance, which I find hard to believe, since the Editors seem to have achieved a level of competency and success in their field, or (b) deliberate propogandizing of the information. To put it in simpler terms: deliberate deception, or, a lie.
I say again, if I had looked at the data on the graph you posted and then published a report based on that data under the title a “Surge in US Military Deaths,” I would at least be demoted and removed from any position of interpreting data, and probably just out-right fired.
In light of the information you added, the headline is shameful.
I’d say the headline is pretty accurate.
There’s a lot more evidence when you look at the graph to show that American fatalities are INCREASING than decreasing.
Imagine the “best fit” line that runs through this graph.
It would be upward . . .
Wow, Capn. I guess you do statistics a lot differently than I do when plotting trends. Perhaps you’re more experienced in this area than me, and probably smarter. But any where I’ve worked and predicted trends I would have called this a downward trend for at least the last three months, and possibly since July. But what do I know. I’m so simplistic that I just put the left side of a ruler at the point for July, then alligned the right side with the point in October. It looked pretty much downhill to me. Six consecutive points DOWN equals a DOWNWARD trend. Statistically, I would have reported a surge in US military deaths at the beginning of the summer, coinciding the the troop surge, a leveling off in mid summer, and a downward TREND for the last 3 months. Someone less conservative with the math than me might even report it as a 5 month trend. The person who did that wouldn’t be on any shakier ground than the Editors who wrote the headline are. Trends change, but evidently narratives don’t.
Are you *sure* you want to defend that?
“I’m so simplistic that I just put the left side of a ruler at the point for July, then alligned the right side with the point in October.”
Uh, yeah, that would be simplistic, David.
It would be what they call “cherry picking.”
You don’t get to pick the three months out of 56. You have to look at the entire trend.
Put the left hand of the ruler in the middle of the lines on the left hand side and then put the right hand side in the middle of the lines on the right.
It goes up, doesn’t it.
The MSM has been lying, as usual, basking in “death rates nearly cut in half due to the surge” { right here on this blog, in part, by the WE }.
Short memory?
As I said, Capn, we read things differently. I wonder if you would have the same interpretation if you just saw raw data points and didn’t know what they represented. If the graph was called “Widget Consumption” would you say there was an upward trend? If you were contracting as an independent consultant for the Widget industry, would you tell them, “All is well. Widgets are trending up and doing really well at this point in the year”?
I’m not sure that a defense of an upward TREND would stand up to any auditor I know.
David, it looks like an upward trend to me -
when you have the graph upside down!
Opp… Max… Check the open thread around 12:40 toady. There’s a note for you.
That graph looks more like a yearly cycle to me. So once a year you can say we have a downward trend. The rest of the year you have to say let’s wait until September to give the surge a chance to work.
It trends downward in the hottest months: August September October
They say the Vietnam War wasn’t a ten year war, it was a one year war fought ten times.
Thanks, Left. I’d be comfortable with that. It’s the use of the term “surge” that seemed, at the very least, anachronistic, and seemingly deliberate. (I doubt there’s much in the way of journalistic narrative that *isn’t* deliberate, so that might be redundant.) At best, the headline is misleading and disingenuous.
The use of the word surge is Bush’s choice, to describe what is really an escalation. Those extra troops are going to be there at least a year and if next spring we find ourselves in the same place we were last spring, the “surge” of troops will stay even longer.
It’s a stupid term, appropriate for a stupid war.
Hope everyone has a “surge” of a good weekend. And thank Bush you don’t have to pay for this war until later.
“The use of the word surge is Bush’s choice, to describe what is really an escalation.”____________
I probably would have jumped on that non sequitur response, which had absolutely nothing to do with the headline misrepresenting US deaths, except for the fact that you wished us all a good weekend. So in the interested of goodwill, good weekend, and good riddance, I shall let the argument go.
And while we’re thanking people like the President, as you suggested, Left, I think we can *all* agree that we would do well to thank our vets and those who are currently laying their lives on the line so that we can go play, work, worship–whatever–without the fear of being killed by terrorists. I, for one, am grateful.
If you think invading Iraq is stopping terrorism, I have a bridge over the Tigris to sell you.
I was agreeing with you that the use of the word “surge” is stupid, both in this context and in the original sales pitch Bush used it for.
The military deaths, troop levels, and billions of dollars we borrow each month to pay for it all, are not a surge. Surge implies that it will subside on its own. That’s why the headline is misleading. If it were a surge in deaths they would be decreasing now… oh wait, they are aren’t they. Let’s look at the numbers again next year because clearly a large part of the voting public doesn’t want any talk of ending this war.
Good night and good luck.
Support the troops.
The “terrorist” was killed by the “Tooth fairy” who was kidnapped by the boogeyman, who quit his job at al-Qaida.
So, nobody is left except Bush and as I looked into his Eyes I noticed something scary; Nobody is home.
We did not go to Iraq to fight terrorist, that was an afterthought. We went to Iraq because bush realized that the Madman Saddam with his arsenal of WMD’s and wooden drones was an unique threat that had to be addressed immediately.
And, that’s not to mention they had the seed purification plant that was supposedly loading the mobile bio-labs. Was Monsanto really behind the war?
It is reassuring to know that the reason we’re in Iraq is because God commanded the bush. If the media is so liberal, why hasn’t anyone asked bush if his comment about God speaking to him is true? I know the press would be all over Hillary if she was alleged to made a comment like that.Here’s some interesting bush quotes.”I fully understand that the job of the president is and must always be protecting the great right of people to worship or not worship as they see fit. That’s what distinguishes us from the Taliban. The greatest freedom we have or one of the greatest freedoms is the right to worship the way you see fit.”On the other hand, I don’t see how you can be president at least from my perspective, how you can be president, without a relationship with the Lord.”[...]“What we are going to do in the second term is to make sure that the grant money is available for faith communities to bid on, to make sure these faith-based offices are staffed and open. But the key thing is, is that we do have the capacity to allow faith programs to access enormous sums of social service money, which I think is important.”–George W. Bush, January 11, 2005
“I feel like God wants me to run for President. I can’t explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen… I know it won’t be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it.”–George W. Bush commenting to Texas evangelist James Robinson in the run-up to his presidential campaign
“We share common goals and a common faith.”–George W. Bush, addressing the Christian Coalition’s “Road To Victory” convention
“God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam [Hussein], which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.”–Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen quoting Bush when they met in Aqaba; reported in The Haaretz Reporter by Arnon Regular
“I’m the Commander, see … I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being the President … [I] don’t feel like I owe anybody an explanation.”–Speaking to the National Security Council
“I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive.”–August 4, 2002, on violence in the Middle East… and his golf game
“Somebody told me there’s a story floating around that somehow I am blaming the Clinton administration for what’s going on in the Middle East right now. ? I appreciate what President Clinton tried to do. He tried to bring peace to the Middle East.”–April 6 press conference in Crawford, Texas with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.”Well, we’ve tried summits in the past, as you may remember. It wasn’t all that long ago where a summit was called and nothing happened, and as a result we had significant intifada in the area.”–Interview with Britain’s ITV, as reported by the Associated Press’s Ron Fournier on April 5.
Bush promised during the presidential campaign to avoid tapping Social Security except in cases of war, recession or a national emergency.”Lucky me. I hit the trifecta,” Bush told [Mitch] Daniels shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the budget director.–Miami Herald, Nov. 29, 2001
He [Bush] recalled the last time he was in Florida, on the morning of Sept. 11, and what went through his mind when the first plane hit New York’s World Trade Center: “I used to fly myself, and I said, ‘Well, there’s one terrible pilot.’”–Associated Press, Dec. 4, 2001
“I don’t think that witchcraft is a religion. I wish the military would rethink this decision.” – to ABC NEWS, June 1999, regarding Ft. Hood’s decision to allow Wiccan rituals
“I do not think witchcraft is a religion, and I do not think it is in any way appropriate for the U.S. military to promote it.” – October 15, 2000
“I urge all Texans to answer the call to serve those in need. By volunteering their time, energy or resources to helping others, adults and youngsters follow Christ’s message of love and service in thought and deed.”Therefore, I, George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim June 10, 2000, Jesus Day in Texas and urge the appropriate recognition whereof,In official recognition whereof,I hereby affix my signature this17th day of April, 2000.”Jesus Day 2000″ Proclamation
“There’s no such thing as legacies. At least, there is a legacy, but I’ll never see it.” – Jan. 31, 2001
“I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.” – Jan. 29, 2001
“My pro-life position is I believe there’s life. It’s not necessarily based in religion. I think there’s a life there, therefore the notion of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” – Jan. 23, 2001
“Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment.” – Jan. 14, 2001
“The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants.” – Jan. 14, 2001
“I hope the ambitious realize that they are more likely to succeed with success as opposed to failure.” – Jan. 18, 2001
“If he’s?the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a?is a noble institution I would?I would strongly reject that assumption?that John Ashcroft is a open-minded, inclusive person.” – Jan. 14, 2001
“She’s just trying to make sure Anthony gets a good meal?Antonio.”?On Laura Bush inviting Justice Antonin Scalia to dinner at the White House. – Jan. 14, 2001
“I am mindful of the difference between the executive branch and the legislative branch. I assured all four of these leaders that I know the difference, and that difference is they pass the laws and I execute them.” – Dec. 18, 2000
“They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it’s some kind of federal program.” – Nov. 2, 2000
“I mean, there needs to be a wholesale effort against racial profiling, which is illiterate children.” – Oct. 11, 2000
“I do know I’m ready for the job. And, if not, that’s just the way it goes.” – Aug. 21, 2000
“I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” – Sep. 29, 2000
“I will have a foreign-handed foreign policy.” – Sep. 27, 2000
“I think we ought to raise the age at which juveniles can have a gun.”
“Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.” – Oct. 18, 2000
“The woman who knew that I had dyslexia–I never interviewed her.” – Sept. 15, 2000
“We cannot let terriers and rogue nations hold this nation hostile” – Sep. 9, 2000
“If most of the breaks go to wealthy people it’s because most of the people who pay taxes are wealthy.”
“I don’t need to be subliminabable” – Sep. 12, 2000
George W. Bush is insane.
Great news. Tell it to the dead guys and their families. Come on, George, tell them about being heroes, dead heroes, in the war against weapons of mass destruction that never exsisted.
Nearly every Democrat in Congress said that Saddam had WMD’s.
They got their information prior to W even being elected.
They got their information from President Bill Clinton.
Al Quida wanted to defeat us in Iraq.Instead, we are defeating them.
We did win the first war, getting rid of Saddam.
That war never ended.
Ever person who served in the military, since the first Gulf War, from Bush Sr through Bill Clinton to TODAY, served during a combat period.
The VA says that EVERYONE who served under Bill Clinton served during wartime.
This is important.
Those who served under Reagan, for instance, do not get the same benefits as those who served under Clinton, due to the “Wartime” status granted by the VA, for conflicts approved by the United States Congress!
“They got their information prior to W even being elected.”
Posted by: econ101 | November 10, 2007 at 12:03 AM
And later, they learned the truth…
7 March 2003 | New York, USAStatement to the United Nations Security Council
‘The Status of Nuclear Inspections in Iraq: An Update’http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml
The invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003.
It’s CLINTON did this!
GEORGE BUSH saved America!
I’m sick of it! BUSH saved America and we should all be on our knees thanking him!
We’re all our knees to Bush.
But not thanking him.
Yes!!! Bush saved America! From the greatness that could have been. We could help the less fortunate around the world, we could help the less fortunate here. We could fund our schools and universities and create a generation of educated people who would create great works of art and music or discover cures to diseases that have long plagued the world. We could have done so much.
Instead we spread terror around the middle east and sell out the government to the corporations putting ourselves and our children at risk. Because money trumps all. Because you never made a fortune by doing something good. Because making America great would entail having to improve ourselves and we have become a nation of very lazy people who would rather be told what to do and what to think. Because given a choice we will always pick American Idol over Dumas.
Because we are America: Of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations.Because we blindly believe what we are told: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. And to question is treason.
Just wait until Hillary gets installed. Bill was even better at getting Americans overseas killed and murdered.
Here is the scary part for you weblog: WE ARE WINNING!
Surge or no surge the entire country of Iraq is not worth the life of one American servicemember Support the Troops bring them home
patty h, care to link to where you got that bs?