NYT News Analysis: Iraq Snapshots Give 2 Views (About Surge Success)

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/washington/02assess.html?hp

News Analysis
Iraq Snapshots Give 2 Views

By MARK MAZZETTI
Published: August 2, 2007
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 — July ended with a monthly death toll for American troops in Iraq that was the lowest this year. Then August dawned with car bombs in Baghdad that killed scores of Iraqis.

In war, good news and bad news often coexist. But in Iraq, where battle lines are murky, the snapshots emerging from the American counterinsurgency campaign can seem particularly contradictory. Ever since American troops first rumbled through Iraqi cities more than four years ago, the war has produced both victories and defeats, and most have been short-lived.

“Compared with a conventional war, when we can say that we are exactly 50 miles from Berlin, it is extremely difficult in a conflict like this to find data that shows any meaningful trend,” said Andrew J. Bacevich, a military historian and professor of international relations at Boston University.

But that does not stop defenders and critics of the war from trying. With a promised progress report from the top American commander in Iraq now just six weeks away, partisans on both sides of the debate in Washington are searching desperately for evidence to bolster their judgments about the success or failure of the strategy that the Bush administration calls a “surge.”

The war’s staunchest supporters have seized on the reduced death toll in July for American troops as a sign that an influx of troops is dampening sectarian violence in the country. Yet even before the car bombings on Wednesday, opponents of the war were citing reports that the Iraqi civilian deaths were on the rise — a fact they say belies any notion that the White House strategy is having its intended effect of protecting the Iraqi population. They also note that over the past two years, July has generally been a light month for American military deaths.

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[brettdale]

1. July The lowest monthly death toll this year for US this year

Did this New York Times report point out, that its the lowest total by one death. 80 US Troops died this month. 83 died in Janurary, 81 died in Feburary and 81 died in march. Then we had three months of over 100 US Deaths.

[Botany]

2. Cheney already said that the surge is showing signs of success ...

.... so it will be a success .... so much so that Patraeus will say we have to stay.

"The top American general in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, often says that successful
counterinsurgency campaigns can sometimes last between 8 and 10 years."

Facts:
Iraq had about 26 million people
2.25 million have left (Egypt, Syria, & Jordan) these were the "educated class."
2.00 + million are "internal exiles" aka homeless or living with family or friends
700,000 more people are dead thanks to invasion and the starting of the war (Lancet study)
electricity is spotty @ best
water is spotty @ best
millions are without jobs
Turkey has 200,000+ troops on the border w/ the Kurds
Schools in many places are not functioning
Sunnis w/ the backing of Saudis make a large % of "insurgents."
Shi ites have infiltrated police and military units
ethnic killings are too numerous to count
the elected government has little if any power outside of the "green zone"
according to the Iraq Study Group 1,300 fighters are non Iraqi al Qaeda.

http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/index.html
just read about one day in Iraq.