An excellent wrap up of the surge by Tina Susman in the LA Times today. This nugget seemed to be especially absurd.

According to U.S. military figures, an average of 1,000 Iraqis have died each month since March in sectarian violence. That compares with about 1,200 a month at the start of the security plan, the military said in an e-mailed response to queries. This does not include deaths from car bombings, which the military said have numbered more than 2,600 this year.

We also know that these violence numbers don't include Shi'a on Shi'a violence in the South or Sunni on Sunni violence in Anbar and other parts of the country.

I have an idea. Why don't we count murder rates in the U.S. but exclude all gun violence. Seriously, what is so difficult about showing the actual numbers!!!