The "surge" is not working, even militarily

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Kevin Drum looks at the numbers and it doesn't look like even the military aspect of the moderate troop increase dubbed "the surge" is working:

 June/July 2006
 June/July
2007

Iraqi Military and Police Killed

349

429

Up 23%

Multiple Fatality Bombings

110

82

Down 25%

# Killed in Mult. Fatality Bombings

885

1,053

Up 19%

Iraqi Civilians Killed
(All violent causes)

6,739

5,300

Hard to say1

U.S. Troop Fatalities

104

187

Up 80%

U.S. Troops Wounded

983

1,423

Up 45%

Size of Insurgency

20,000+

~70,0002

Up ~250%

Attacks on Oil and Gas Pipelines

8

14 (3)

Up 75%
1Methodology changed dramatically between 2006 and 2007, so numbers are highly suspect.
2Number is for March 2007.
3Numbers are for June only. No July numbers are available.
(HT: rubber hose) Of course, the political reconciliation that was the whole point of the surge is nowhere in sight either. The force and endurance of the delusion of "progress" is truly mind-boggling.

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