Celebrating an Unconscionable Cost
September 2, 2007
Civilian Death Toll Falls in Baghdad but Rises Across Iraq
By JAMES GLANZ
BAGHDAD, Sept. 1 — Newly released statistics for Iraqi civilian deaths in August reflect the strikingly mixed security picture that has emerged from a gradual six-month increase in American troop strength here: the number of deaths across the country rose by about 20 percent since July, but in the capital itself, the number dropped sharply.
. . . But the figures provided by the Interior Ministry official show a drop in deaths within Baghdad, to 656 in August from 896 in July. --read the article-- ______________________________________________________________________ And that suffices for progress. Who would have thought that four years after knocking down the Hussein statue, we would be celebrating a mere 656 civilian deaths in Baghdad as a positive news item? In our absolute desperation and self-doubt, this is how far we have allowed ourselves to come, rhetorically. There is no way for Americans t…