The Opinionated Bastard has a post entitled It's that Time of the Month. He breaks down the Brookings Institute's number on the Iraq war. He presents the case that things in Iraq are demonstrably better than the previous month. Troop deaths down to lowest level, fewer civilians killed in acts of war, and more Iraqi troops available.

I don't agree with his conclusion that an uptick in woundings indicates taking the fight to the enemy more. I don't know if injuries (non-combat) are kept distinct from commbat wounds. I assume they are but the increase in wounds could be the result of fatigue. Increase the fatigue level of troops and people get careless and sloppy. It could also be that the bad guys are avoiding the body armor in favor of leg shots in hopes of getting some sort of wound rather than just plinking into the guy's armor.

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