No graph this time--I'm saving my energy for a graph covering the whole of the Iraq War and its aftermath for the whole of the Bush presidency. I'll probably keep tabs on the casualties without working up a monthly graph from this point on.
In January only six coalition soldiers lost their lives through Jan 16 according to icasualties.org, with half of those listed as "non-hostile" deaths. Those numbers are slightly worse than the mid-month count from November (four total, two non-hostile) but still extrapolate to the best month for coalition troop safety since the start of the war.
General Petraeus, coalition troops and Iraqi security forces deserve immense praise. And President Bush deserves immense credit for showing the resolve to win in Iraq. I've run across liberals writing to the effect that success in Iraq is "impossible" despite the security gains we're seeing now, but I don't see any reasonable justification for such a gloomy outlook. But I'm sure a President Obama will appreciate having the bar set on the ground with respect to his Iraq policy. Anything that gets us out will be considered a success, I suppose.
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