Juking the Stats in Iraq.

Are things getting better in Iraq? If so, it'll be hard to prove with the statistics lately offered by the US military, which critics claim once again have been cherry-picked and "selectively ignore negative trends." "In its December 2006 report, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group identified 'significant underreporting of violence,' noting that 'a murder of an Iraqi is not necessarily counted as an attack'...Recent estimates by the media, outside groups and some government agencies have [also] called the military's findings into question."

In any case, it seems that, despite Dubya and Gen. Petraeus's claims to the contrary, Iraqi security forces are nowhere close to being able to handle the load in Baghdad, according to a new report by a commission of retired military officers. "The report expresses concern about what it calls the massive U.S. military logistical 'footprint' in Iraq and its effect on perceptions and problems. 'The unintended message conveyed is one of "permanence," an occupying force, as it were,' the report says. It recommends reconsideration of 'efficiency, necessity...and cost' and calls for 'significant reductions, consolidations and realignments" of U.S. forces.'"