The media is filled with the '75% reduction in violence' estimate given by Bush to justify his continuing the war. But if you dig deeper you find that US casualties last month were at an all-time high. And Iraqi civilian casualties last month were at an all time high as well. So how do you get a 75% reduction when the killings on both sides are at their peak?
You cook the books. What they did was redefine what bodies are counted towards 'ethno-sectarian violence'. Shot in the back of the head instead of the front? Doesn't count. It was an assassination. Was it a Sunni killed by a Sunni, or Shia killed by a Shia. Doesn't count. Which would be a significant drop because both Sunni and Shia have spent the last four years "ethnically cleansing" their neighborhoods. Killed in a mass explosion like a bus or school bombing? Doesn't count. That fits into a different category. That's how you get a 75% drop real quick like. You just change how the number is counted.
Ahh, the Bush administration. When the facts don't fit what you want, change the facts to match your own view of reality.
Of course, as has so often been the case with this war, the bumper sticker of "75% reduction in violence" will win out because it's far harder to convey the fact that Bush has once again cooked the books.
Posted by jherr at September 14, 2007 06:11 AMThanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
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