Reporting Decreasing Casualties in Iraq

Many blogs that are in support of the war are trumpeting decreasing casualty rates in October.  While I’m glad to see this occur, I don’t think it’s great strategy to act like one month’s drop in casualties. It’s great news, but what it proves in and of itself is a little. There have been good months and bad months in Iraq. There have been drops in the number of troops lost and the amount violence occurring, and then it’s gone up and back down.

In addition, there’s a fundamental flaw with the argument. If a smaller number of casualties means our involvement in the war is justified and that our actions are appropriate, does an increase in casualties change that? That really puts terrorists in the driver’s seat. Should Al Qaeda import terrorists from elsewhere who go about killing, where does that leave us? Wisdom dictates not putting the emphasis on a number that may change. Rather, we can be glad of having the terrorists on the run and hopeful about the future, but premature declarations of victory can lead to disappointment.