US toll in Iraq hits all-time low

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Sorry to be bearer of bad tidings for Spy-- but great news for most of us.

BAGHDAD (AP) - The monthly U.S. toll in Iraq fell to its lowest point since the war began, with 11 American deaths as July drew to a close Thursday after the departure of the last surge brigade.

rest of story--

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080731/D9294GL80.html

Reason I put this up is it is apparently not getting much if any from major press--

However Reuters did make mention--as a side note. Note their headline:nono:

Fewer Iraqi civilians killed in July By Missy Ryan
20 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The number of civilians killed in Iraq dropped in July, according to government figures released on Friday.

The declining violence is welcome news for U.S. President George W. Bush, who on Thursday held out the prospect of further troop reductions later this year as he hailed a new "degree of durability" in security gains in the country.

The statistics showed 387 civilians were killed last month, down from 448 in June. The July figure was less than a quarter of the civilian death toll in the same month last year.

Dramatic improvements in security were also reflected in American military casualties in July, which fell to their lowest level since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003.

Six U.S. soldiers were killed in combat in Iraq last month, compared to 66 in July 2007, according to the independent website icasualties.org, which tracks wartime deaths.

The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, will make recommendations to Bush in September on future troop levels -- a key issue in the November presidential election campaign in the United States.

There are 143,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq after the last of five extra combat brigades sent last year withdrew in July.

The deployment of the additional U.S. troops, a decision by Sunni Arab tribal leaders to turn against al Qaeda and a ceasefire imposed by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on his Mehdi Army are all factors credited with the reduced violence.

The government figures showed nearly 80 Iraqi police and soldiers were killed in July, while 107 insurgents were killed and close to 900 arrested.

Petraeus and other commanders caution that the gains in Iraq are fragile and could be reversed. Indeed, four suicide bombers killed around 60 people in attacks on Monday.

BIG OPERATION IN DIYALA

Cementing the security gains will still be a test for Washington and for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who in recent months has launched several major offensives against Shi'ite militias and Sunni Arab al Qaeda insurgents.

Earlier this week, Iraqi troops and police launched a crackdown against al Qaeda in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. Diyala is one of the country's most restive areas.

The changing security conditions in Iraq have also colored the debate in the U.S. presidential race, where Iraq is one of the most divisive issues between Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

Obama has promised a "steady, deliberate drawdown" that would aim to remove U.S. combat forces from Iraq in 16 months should he win the election. Obama wants to shift military resources to the worsening conflict in Afghanistan.

McCain late last month warned that pursuit of Obama's withdrawal plan could have disastrous consequences.

However, McCain also acknowledged in a CNN interview that a 16-month period would be "a pretty good timetable," but said any withdrawal must be based on conditions on the ground.

(Additional reporting by Aws Qusay, Editing by Dean Yates)

 

[StevieD]

11 deaths too many.

 

[Jabberwocky]

yeah, DTB supports the troops. He is all about getting them killed for an idiotic occupation.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

My troops are much safer in Iraq--than among getto dwellers here--by HUGE margin.

---and their doing it to protect others--not while commiting a crime.

There were more injuries in congress on dems getting trampled in retreat--than there are in war they referred to as lost.

ironic thing is--they would have been correct--assuming they had been in control--:SIB

:0corn

 

[ImFeklhr]

My troops are much safer in Iraq--than among getto dwellers here--by HUGE margin.

---and their doing it to protect others--not while commiting a crime.

This is all good news, but it is still a waste money. That's all I really care about. Stop spending taxpayer money on everything!!

no wars, no windfall taxes, no bridges to nowhere.

just stop it all. that'd be nice! :00hour

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Your asking too much my friend--but one step at a time would be nice.

 

[StevieD]

Your asking too much my friend--but one step at a time would be nice.

Have the Taliban re-emerged in Afghan? So what makes you think the insurgents will not rise up once we leave? Assuming we don't implode under the weight of the debt this occupation is causing?

 

[Chadman]

My troops are much safer in Iraq--than among getto dwellers here--by HUGE margin.

Man, if anyone is dwelling on the ghettos these days, it's you, that's for should. Why must everything always come back to a rip on blacks with you? Unless it's Clinton, of course, but that's another post for another thread, unless you can mention Bill's Harlem office - there, I went ahead and did it for you...

 

[Spytheweb]

Are we still paying 12 billion a month?

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Man, if anyone is dwelling on the ghettos these days, it's you, that's for should. Why must everything always come back to a rip on blacks with you? Unless it's Clinton, of course, but that's another post for another thread, unless you can mention Bill's Harlem office - there, I went ahead and did it for you...

What has getto's got to do with blacks Chad or are you profiling ??????

My intent was to show war zones safer than areas here in America--

Now if I wanted to make a black theme issue--I'd simple use your press touting your man.

Obama Hopes to Take Hold of 7 Traditionally GOP States
by Associated Press
Sunday, August 3, 2008

WASHINGTON ? Alaska is young. Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia have growing populations and many black voters. Montana has seen recent Democratic inroads, and North Dakota has sent only Democrats to Congress since 1986. Indiana borders Barack Obama?s home state.

The Democratic presidential candidate is putting money and manpower in all seven of these states ? at levels unmatched by Republican rival John McCain.

For decades, these states have almost exclusively voted for Republican presidential candidates and have rarely seen any campaign action. Now, thanks in part to demographic and political shifts, they are emerging as new battlegrounds.

?We have the organizational ability and the financial ability to compete there,? Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said recently. ?There is not a head fake among them.?

Undeterred, senior McCain strategist Steve Schmidt said: ?We feel very confident about holding these states.? He also expressed optimism that McCain can win several Democratic-leaning perennial swing targets.

In the seven historically GOP bastions, Obama has run five weeks? worth of TV ads and dispatched dozens of workers to sign up legions of unregistered voters that his campaign believes can be persuaded to support the Illinois senator in droves if courted aggressively. Among their targets are blacks and young people, two constituencies that favor Obama but historically have been unreliable voters.
McCain is largely absent from most of these states, trusting for now that right-leaning roots will prevail.

Unlike McCain, Obama had a presence in all seven during the protracted Democratic primaries and that could benefit him.

But Republicans ? and even some skeptical Democrats ? claim Obama simply is trying to lure McCain into spending money defending GOP turf so he has less to compete with elsewhere.

Indeed, cash flow is a major factor; Obama expects to be able to afford to compete most anywhere while McCain must be more careful with his money because he is accepting public financing and the spending limits that come with it.

Democrats see other dynamics in the states as opportunities, which Republicans say are just delusions.

Of the cluster, Virginia is most likely to go Democratic, so it?s the one where McCain is competing in earnest.

Obama is advertising statewide and has opened several offices. Putting Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine on the ticket could help.

McCain?s headquarters is in northern Virginia, and he has a full paid Virginia campaign staff. So far, he?s only on the air in the Washington, D.C., media market that serves the burgeoning Virginia suburbs.

That?s the moderate region that has helped Democrats retain the governor?s office and pick up one Senate seat.

Democrats say the growing numbers of young left-leaning professionals in the north and the state?s large percentage of blacks ? one in five ? as well as untapped pools of potential voters make Virginia a ripe target for them. More than 4 million people are eligible to vote, but roughly a third are not registered, including a half-million blacks and several hundred thousand people age 18-24.
The situation is similar in two other fast-growing Southern states.

North Carolina has seen an influx of Northern retirees settling along the coast and in the mountains, while upper-class and academic transplants from all over flock to the booming economies of the high-tech Research Triangle and the Charlotte banking hub.

?You?re definitely getting a new mix,? said Bill Peaslee, a former state GOP chief of staff. ?Some of the old givens are no longer true. It?s not how it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago.?

Voter registrations are up, blacks are signing up in record numbers and a Democrat leads the state.
Recognizing a potential problem, McCain is sending a full paid staff to North Carolina though running no ads for now.

Georgia saw GOP gains in recent decades as conservatives moved in during a population spurt. It now has a Republican governor and legislature, and a strong state party organization.

Even so, Democrats see an opening among blacks who now make up 30 percent of Georgia?s population. Even Republicans predict the first black major party presidential nominee will produce the largest black turnout ever.

Obama also is optimistic because the Libertarian Party candidate, former Republican Rep. Bob Barr, is from Georgia and could draw off conservative votes there.

In Indiana, Obama could benefit from his ties to the populous, heavily black northwest corner that?s within Chicago?s media market. He?s also counting on backers in liberal-leaning university towns like South Bend and Bloomington. Choosing Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a popular two-term governor, as his running mate would give Obama a boost.

?It can?t be understated that he is from our neighboring state,? said Dan Parker, the state Democratic Party chairman.

Since 1936, Democrats have won Indiana once in presidential elections, 1964. Still, they have had some success on the state level and ousted three GOP incumbent congressmen in 2006. Working-class Indiana whites pose hurdles for Obama as they did in his narrow primary loss to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Along the U.S.-Canada border, Democratic statewide victories have emboldened Obama to make plays for Montana and North Dakota. Republicans argue Democrats who win in those states are moderate and Obama is not. Obama?s campaign also is counting on residual goodwill from his primary wins in both.

In Montana, Bill Clinton showed it?s worth it for a Democrat to compete hard; he narrowly won it in 1992 but narrowly lost it four years later. President Bush, however, won by enormous margins in back-to-back elections.

Nevertheless, Democrats took the governor?s office back with Gov. Brian Schweitzer?s election in 2004 over a Republican, and booted a GOP senator facing corruption allegations two years later to take control of both Senate seats.

Democrats claim the electorate has become more moderate as new people settled in mountainous western Montana. Republicans argue the GOP foundation is strong and note that Montana has sent a Republican to the House since 1994.

North Dakota has a GOP governor but has had an all-Democratic congressional delegation for more than two decades. Still, no Democratic presidential candidate has won the state in more than 30 years.

Obama has opened offices in North Dakota?s four largest cities and has visited twice since wrapping up the nomination.

?Barack Obama coming up here and competing here is going to force John McCain to make a choice,? said Jamie Selzler, the state party director. ?For everything that McCain does up here, that?s a little bit less that he can do in these big battleground states we always hear about.?

Even farther north in far-flung Alaska, it?s been three decades since a Democratic nominee won the state.

Republicans dominate the levers of power, but corruption has rocked the party, including the latest black eye: the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens this week.

All that turmoil emboldens Obama. So does the fact that Alaska is home to the nation?s third-youngest population. Voter registrations among Democrats are outpacing Republicans.

Said state Sen. Hollis French, an Anchorage Democrat: ?There is a real sense of energy coming off that campaign that is completely lacking from the other side.?

 

[bryanz]

Sorry to be bearer of bad tidings for Spy-- but great news for most of us.

BAGHDAD (AP) - The monthly U.S. toll in Iraq fell to its lowest point since the war began, with 11 American deaths as July drew to a close Thursday after the departure of the last surge brigade.

rest of story--

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080731/D9294GL80.html

Reason I put this up is it is apparently not getting much if any from major press--

However Reuters did make mention--as a side note. Note their headline:nono:

Fewer Iraqi civilians killed in July By Missy Ryan
20 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The number of civilians killed in Iraq dropped in July, according to government figures released on Friday.

The declining violence is welcome news for U.S. President George W. Bush, who on Thursday held out the prospect of further troop reductions later this year as he hailed a new "degree of durability" in security gains in the country.

The statistics showed 387 civilians were killed last month, down from 448 in June. The July figure was less than a quarter of the civilian death toll in the same month last year.

Dramatic improvements in security were also reflected in American military casualties in July, which fell to their lowest level since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003.

Six U.S. soldiers were killed in combat in Iraq last month, compared to 66 in July 2007, according to the independent website icasualties.org, which tracks wartime deaths.

The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, will make recommendations to Bush in September on future troop levels -- a key issue in the November presidential election campaign in the United States.

There are 143,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq after the last of five extra combat brigades sent last year withdrew in July.

The deployment of the additional U.S. troops, a decision by Sunni Arab tribal leaders to turn against al Qaeda and a ceasefire imposed by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on his Mehdi Army are all factors credited with the reduced violence.

The government figures showed nearly 80 Iraqi police and soldiers were killed in July, while 107 insurgents were killed and close to 900 arrested.

Petraeus and other commanders caution that the gains in Iraq are fragile and could be reversed. Indeed, four suicide bombers killed around 60 people in attacks on Monday.

BIG OPERATION IN DIYALA

Cementing the security gains will still be a test for Washington and for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who in recent months has launched several major offensives against Shi'ite militias and Sunni Arab al Qaeda insurgents.

Earlier this week, Iraqi troops and police launched a crackdown against al Qaeda in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. Diyala is one of the country's most restive areas.

The changing security conditions in Iraq have also colored the debate in the U.S. presidential race, where Iraq is one of the most divisive issues between Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

Obama has promised a "steady, deliberate drawdown" that would aim to remove U.S. combat forces from Iraq in 16 months should he win the election. Obama wants to shift military resources to the worsening conflict in Afghanistan.

McCain late last month warned that pursuit of Obama's withdrawal plan could have disastrous consequences.

However, McCain also acknowledged in a CNN interview that a 16-month period would be "a pretty good timetable," but said any withdrawal must be based on conditions on the ground.

(Additional reporting by Aws Qusay, Editing by Dean Yates)

No doubt the Surge has worked. Dose not change the fact that a war on terror can not be won conventionally or sustained over time conventionally. Dose not change the fact that this Administration was wrong about every point about this war from day one. The surge working does point a huge spotlight on the criminal negligence of this President,Cheney, and Rummy and the def ear they turned to those that said from day one; the troop levels were to low. I don't know how these people sleep at night : with the what if's they wrestle with if they indeed have a conscience. There are those that will read this and won't understand what I mean about not fighting terror with conventional meams. Until you understand that concept, your view on winning and defeating terror is useless. This debate on the success of this war/occupation of Iraq is a hard one to engage. In the eyes of Our Great President and those Loyalist that put politics and personal gains before America and Her Patriots, They not We are winning. What are We winning ? What Has it cost some of us ? How can the Country access this war, when We were deceived from the start ? A Bush win/ Cheney win/ Rumsfeld win/ and the lap dogs and idots that follow them win, may fall well short of the security and economic win that the lives of everday Americans need and have paid the price for. " Wrong war, wrong place, wrong time..." William F Buckley Jr said that; I agree. We have to fight terror but not this way. We have wasted American Life and wealth.. As a Reblican, who has always had a propblem with the way the far left redistributes wealth. I am heart broken and sickened by the out right theft of American wealth/Life under this President. The Rev Wright has it right in this case when He said :God has Damned America. Well, He may have been wrong, maybe The Bush Administraion Damned America ! These may not be the best of times for America but history will record our greatness because of what we do next. America is bigger than 8yrs of 43, Cheney and the gang !

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Mr B we can debate about whether war was necessary or not till doomsday--which is not my point--

Point is liberals like spy wailing over a dozen deaths in combat zone--

but --headlines like todays--

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New estimates show that least 56,000 people become infected with the AIDS virus every year in the United States -- 40 percent more than previous calculations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.

is no prob

He can't stand someone giving their lives for others--but its :00hour for his needle packin/pole puffing groupies.

Hard to figure

 

[bryanz]

56,000 is 0.0186 % of 300,000,000.

 

[bryanz]

Mr B we can debate about whether war was necessary or not till doomsday--which is not my point--

Point is liberals like spy wailing over a dozen deaths in combat zone--

but --headlines like todays--

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New estimates show that least 56,000 people become infected with the AIDS virus every year in the United States -- 40 percent more than previous calculations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.

is no prob

He can't stand someone giving their lives for others--but its :00hour for his needle packin/pole puffing groupies.

Hard to figure

What you say about people like spy is correct, he has his brothers on the right... your response to my thoughts prove that. The fact that people die in America for a # of reasons has nothing to do with the way this administration has chosen to piss away American wealth and life in Iraq. I find it fitting that Our President will be in China. I think the Chinese People owe him more than the American People for His 2 Terms as President.