November midpoint: casualty trend continues to dip, trial of Shiite former officials approved by Maliki

The numbers from Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, at the current pace, should trend lower for the fourth straight month.

Nov-07	251
Oct-07	679
Sep-07	848
Aug-07	1,674
Jul-07	1,690
Jun-07	1,345
May-07	1,980
Apr-07	1,821
Mar-07	2,977
Feb-07	3,014
Jan-07	1,802

(ICCC)

Captain's Quarters pointed to a new report by Michael Yon out of Baghdad indicating that the Muslims want their Christian neighbors to return to the old neighborhoods. Christians were some of the first to flee sectarian violence since al Qaeda tended to direct persecutions against them.

The willingness of the government to allow the prosecution to two former officials involved in sectarian violence through Iraq's health ministry makes for additional good news. The two Shiites used their position of authority to assist in violence against Sunnis. The move sends a message to Sunnis that Iraq will observe the rule of law--a critical step in the move toward a truly representative government.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidates continued to paint Iraq as a lost cause to loud applause. Go figure.

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