US Death Rate Down in Iraq Since January Elections

[Phil_Stein]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20050324/ts_nm/iraq_usa_casualties_dc

U.S. death rate down about 50% since the January elections. Lots of other glass is half empty commentary in the article, but you can't help but see this as a positive. A long way to go (and much risk), but for the first time in a while, the trend line is pointing in the right direction.

[Tyjenks]

U.S. death rate down about 50% since the January elections. Lots of other glass is half empty commentary in the article, but you can't help but see this as a positive.

Are you sure you came to the right message board? :wink:

[Jason McCullough]

Good news. Obvious questions:

* Any changes in patrolling or operations patterns? S ee mention of Fallujah offensive below.
* Maybe it's just because the last fews months during the election runup were so high?

As the article says:
November through January marked one of the bloodiest periods of the war for U.S. forces, with the Falluja offensive in November and insurgents staging a deadly series of attacks before the election. The 137 U.S. troops killed in November was the highest monthly toll of the war, and the 107 killed in January was the third highest.

Hope it keeps going down, can't say I'm very confident based on the multiple times this has happened already.

[Desslock]

Yes, this is not good news. There's no Americans at all in Iraq. They are no where near Iraq - they got lost in Kuwait. They will burn in their tanks.

[Jason McCullough]

Desslock, voice of reason.

[BooTx]

It'll probably have about as much effect as the "transfer of power" last spring did.

[Desslock]

It'll probably have about as much effect as the "transfer of power" last spring did.

Less! The heroic minutemen insurgents will win any day now, and the Americans will be forced to flee in terror! Kite flying will return when the theocracy and/or dictatorship arrive/return!

Read all about it on page 20 of the NYTimes, or see it at a theatre near you!

[bago]

If you compare the rate of stories from each "side" in this effort, you'll notice that the ratio of positive spin stories has been increasing while the ration of negative spin sotries has been declining, if not in number than in intensity (ie degrading from body cout to worries).

Assuming each side has a vested interest in promoting their agenda, by doing the meta analysis you can see that things seem to be marginally improving.

Of course it's no place I'd want to go on vacation, but less dead soldiers, more peace and more travel can generally be seen as good things, regardless of your stance on the venture.

[Midnight Son]

There should be NO US death rate in Iraq.

[SolomonGrundy]

There is still a war going on?
Jeez, all I see is Terri,Jacko and Steroids.
Only took 4 years for the media to return to being distracted by bullshit.

I'd like to see the numbers of Iraqi police and military that have died since the elections...I'm betting that is up.

[John Reynolds]

I'd like to see the numbers of Iraqi police and military that have died since the elections...I'm betting that is up.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/25/iraq.main/index.html