Bush's war of false pretenses...

[bridgit]

'PRESIDENT BUSH told the nation Thursday night that General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker have "concluded that conditions in Iraq are improving, that we are seizing the initiative from the enemy, and that the troop surge is working."

"One year ago, Baghdad was under siege," he said. "Schools were closed, markets were shuttered, and sectarian violence was spiraling out of control. Today...many schools and markets are reopening. Citizens are coming forward with vital intelligence. Sectarian killings are down. And ordinary life is beginning to return."

Never mind that 1,099 US soldiers died from September 2006 to August 2007, the highest 12-month total and disproportionately accounting for 29 percent of the 3,780 recorded fatalities since the March 2003 invasion. The lowest number of monthly fatalities in that period was 70 in November, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count ( www.icasualties.org/oif ).'

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/09/15/bushs_war_of_false_pretenses/

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. My guess is that they have been "standing down" lately.

With the goal of temporarily reducing the "numbers".