Via Norbizness comes this revealing little story on why the Iraqi casualty numbers mentioned by the administration seem to be dropping, even as the violence appears to be getting worse. "Car bombs and other explosive devices have killed thousands of Iraqis in the past three years," McClatchy newspapers reports, "but the administration doesn't include them in the casualty counts it has been citing as evidence that the surge of additional U.S. forces is beginning to defuse tensions between Shiite and Sunni Muslims."
In other news, murder rates are dropping (Disclaimer: Does not include shootings) and death rates from cardiovascular disease are plummeting (Disclaimer: Does not include heart attacks). Of course, the Bush administration offers no disclaimers -- this is about principle, not accuracy. "If the standard of success is no car bombings or suicide bombings," Bush recently said, "we have just handed those who commit suicide bombings a huge victory." Unless, of course, we clamp our eyes shut, firmly affix our hands to our ears, and pretend there are no car bombings and suicide bombings. If we don't mention them, it's like they never happened.
Except, of course, for the Iraqis.
