NYT: Report Says Number of Insurgent Attacks in Iraq Increases

[Hissyspit]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0209-12.htm

Published on Thursday, February 9, 2006 by the New York Times
Report Says Number of Attacks by Insurgents in Iraq Increases
by James Glanz

WASHINGTON - Sweeping statistics on insurgent violence in Iraq that were declassified for a Senate hearing on Wednesday appear to portray a rebellion whose ability to mount attacks has steadily grown in the nearly three years since the invasion.

The statistics were included in a report written by Joseph A. Christoff, director of international affairs and trade at the Government Accountability Office, who testified before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee during a hearing on Iraq stabilization and reconstruction.

The American military declassified the statistics so he could present them to the hearing in his report, Mr. Christoff said in an interview. The figures cover attacks on American and Iraqi forces and civilians.

The curve traced out by the figures between June 2003 and December 2005 shows a number of fluctuations, including several large spikes in insurgent activity — one as recently as October of last year. But while American and Iraqi officials have often pointed to the downward edges of those fluctuations as evidence that the steam was going out of the insurgency, the numbers over all seem to tell a different story, Mr. Christoff said. "It's not going down," he said. "There are peaks and valleys, but if you look at every peak, it's higher than the peak before."

MORE

[LynnTheDem]

1. steadily grown in the nearly three years since the invasion.

Gee that sure ain't what bush-god and the duck & the dick tell us.

"...steadily grown in the nearly three years since the invasion."

In other words, we're losing. And even some REPUBLICAN senators have said so.

Gee I'm shocked that the bush-god, the duck & the dick would lie. Again. Really I am.

[calimary]

2. K&R. More reinforcements for your anti-war, anti-bush arguments.

But but but but but... We. Are. Winning! Asshole-in-chief said so! Freedom is on the march! Another one for the "Yeah, SUUUUUUUUUUUUUURE" file.

[Hissyspit]

5. Freedom is on the march - right up to the Danish embassies!

And then there is the whole Hamas thing...

[acmavm]

3. Attacks increasing? Well no shit. I'm that smart. Just another

day in Iraq. And another lie from the bush** administration.

[LynnTheDem]

4. "No, I don't think we're winning."

"We're in trouble, we're in deep trouble in Iraq."
Republican senator Chuck Hagel, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

[Journeyman]

6. Weren't we told by Rummy no more than a month ago that attacks were down?

It's all so confusing. I know someone's lying, but who? The group who's explaining the realities of the obvious given the news reports we hear from all sides, or the senile old fart known for blowing happy smoke up the public's ass? I just don't know who to believe. . .

[Barrett808]

7. Here are the graphs

[Hissyspit]

8. Thanks. I had not seen those.

We're three years into this thing. If it wasn't a stupid idea, all would be well by now.
So it must've been a stupid idea.