Has The Surge Worked?

I saw this earlier today on the Early Bird report, and Glen Beck was touting it as Gospel tonight: Link

I mean, it's by the Associated Press and it's printed in the NY Post. Positive results with factual numbers, from them? Whodathunk? Of course, these numbers are one statistic: the number of bodies found on Baghdad streets this month is down nearly 50% from last month. 50% reduction from the surge? What Beck didn't point out is that means it's "only" 494 dead, tortured and left in the streets, attributed to the "sectarian death squads."

A counterpoint article: Link
This article points out the death of 18 young boys in an attack on a soccer field, although it does go on to say that the information in the reports is contradictory and inconclusive. Here is another Link to an article that calls that particular incident into question. The first article goes on to point out that there is still violent acts being committed, although whether this means the violence is "unchecked" is clearly debatable. ("Unchecked," to me, would mean "no change." Perhaps I'm wrong.)

Of course, all of this is moot, as it's too early to tell. (Props to Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno for saying the same thing in the NY Post article.)

Regardless of whether it turns out overall positive or it just isn't enough, what I had to focus in on is this: Brigadier General Qassim Moussawi is proud that there's "only" 10 bodies in the Baghdad morgue today. What kind of screwed up "victory" is that? I'm glad we're saving lives, I just still find it tragic how much life continues to be expended every day.

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When I saw the headline, my first thought was "it is too early", and indeed that is what the article does say. The signs are hopeful however. But then the same old crap is being done as well. Where are the NY Times and Wash Post articles on this? Nowhere to be found.

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How 'bout we close off Sadr City again? That cut down the sectarian violence to practically nil while it lasted. It worked beautifully.

Then again, the French tried that in Algiers, and it didn't work out too well long term. Plus the Iraqi president's a wuss and already nixed it once.

This war really is like Vietnam. Every time you try something that works, it gets taken away for political reasons. Sigh................

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