[GlictStiply]

Cue Ramo...

What do you have for us this time

[onlyfun_biziness]

Excellent. I hope it continues. I'm dubious as to whether it will, and given the manifest incompetence of the Bush administration I think that's a reasonable viewpoint. Petraeus, however, has gained some measure of my trust.

-Arrian

edit: as noted in the article, a decrease in violence is only part of the puzzle. However, it's an important part and the key one the US military was supposed to accomplish. The political stuff has to be done by the Iraqis themselves with, perhaps, some help from US diplos (ugh).

[Qxkmsxsx]

The once militants could take things a step further and join the political system. I they did so, they might even find themselves in an easier position to do what they've supposedly wanted all along: the US out of Iraq. Imagine instead of wasting time shedding blood, they peacefully take charge of the government and kick the US out? I would be ok with that result.

[Golotop]

good news

mission almost accomplished

Divide the country up in 3 and try to keep the ethnic cleansing to a minimum until people have a chance to relocate and then get the hell out of Dodge...

[Svatudjw]

And the political breakthroughs have just continued to roll in..Oh wait, the law about the distribution of oil is falling apart.....

But I am glad to know that the levels of violence in Iraq are now only terrible, down from horrible, which is down from horrific. Who knows, by the time Bush leaves, they might be all the way down to bad.

[WaysletlyLene]

BTW the OP is completely retarded and the people who claim that a reduction of deaths in Sept-Oct had anything to do with the US are dreaming. EVERY year deaths decrease in Sept-Oct due to religious observations during the run up to Ramadan as well as the fact that the beginning of Ramadan normally happens during that time.

The OP doesn't cite a source or even an author but it is clear who ever wrote that is at best ignorant of life in a muslim country. "ATTACKS DECREASED DURING RAMADAN! THE SURGE HAS WORKED AS PLANNED" Rather such stupid claims show how willing some people are to grasp at straws.

[itaspCatCriny]

The OP doesn't cite a source or even an author but it is clear who ever wrote that is at best ignorant of life in a muslim country. WaPo editorial board. If you had bothered to even do a minimal research effort, you'd have known that.

[NerbuitW]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
The OP doesn't cite a source or even an author but it is clear who ever wrote that is at best ignorant of life in a muslim country. WaPo editorial board. If you had bothered to even do a minimal research effort, you'd have known that. The poster has a responsibility to provide source info not the reader. I won't bother to look if the OP poster is to lazy to support his own side.

[Desflahd]

Which means that over the past several years we've been in Iraq, the date of Ramadan would have shiftend only by a month or so, meaning Oerdin's generalization is correct.

[MFSSCW2c]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Which means that over the past several years we've been in Iraq, the date of Ramadan would have shiftend only by a month or so, meaning Oerdin's generalization is correct. With that kind of lee-way any generalisation is correct

[evammaUselp]

Originally posted by germanos


This is a completely retarded remark.
Ramadan has no correlation whatsoever with the western calender. As the muslims use a lunar calander, the beginning of Ramadan typicly starts 11 days earlier every solar year. OK, I meant every year that the US has been in Iraq. Meaning from 2003-2007 or more specifically the years where there was an active insurgency 2004-2007. I was trying to show how every year we see a huge drop right before and during Ramadan while the OP tries to claim this is a result of the Administration's policies. Clearly that isn't so.

[BitStillrhile]

"ATTACKS DECREASED DURING RAMADAN! THE SURGE HAS WORKED AS PLANNED" Except, Oerdin, Ramadan has signaled a steep rise in Al Queda attacks ever year, which hasn't materialized this year, as the OP states. So it is not just the Sunni/Shia Iraqis who are too busy to kill each other, but also for some reason the foriegn fighters are too busy to take advantage of all the juice pilgramage targets.

[somamasoso]

Don't worry, violence will go up now that the Democrats have sparked Turkey to go cleanse Kurdistan now. Good game.

[corkBrobe]

Actually, Hilary supported the push, right? So I think this is evidence that even the Dems don't want Hilary president.

[Beriilosal]

Given the way the war was sold in late 2002, I don't think "low" casualties heading into 2008 are really going to hurt the Dems. Eh, we will see. Assuming the trend continues, which is not certain at all, there will be some great soundbites of Pelosi and Reid. Hell, the Petreaus hearing itself is hours of political commercial gold.

If it lasts to Petreaus's next report, again not at all certain, it will be interesting to here the Congressional spin.

[Agrisalia]

When, not if...

[Finanziamento]

You just have to win the argument that it wouldn't be indefinitely if it wasn't for the Democrats not supporting the troops.

[tgs]

To be sure, Petraeus is winning the battle of Iraq going on in Washington.

[Kragh]

Sure was lots of ink spent on the battle over the last couple of months.