Unreported Report

I honestly don't plan on blogging politics almost at all... however, I couldn't pass this up.

Three questions (answer honestly to yourself, and not according to what you think I'd blog on):
1. How bad are U.S. casualty rates in the current war?
2. Has the "surge" affected U.S. casualty rates?
3. Are military suicide rates up?

Here are three graphics from a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (ht: Sweetness & Light):

1. Current casualty rates are somewhere in the middle of where they've been for the last 27 years. (By the bye, for anyone not up on their history, for much of that time we were not at war.)

2. Casualties are down significantly since the surge started.

3. Military suicide rates are down from peace time.

Now, let me add quickly that this is obviously not a defense of the war. The purposes of the war and their achievement must be determined and judged to do that. The reasons for posting these statistics are: A, Because you're not likely to see them anywhere else; and B, To point out that you're not likely to see them anywhere else. So I recommend trusting the media (mainstream or otherwise) approximately as far as you can throw Al Roker... before the surgery.

This is one of the main reasons why I don't plan on blogging politics. It seems that there is always and forever some piece of information lying around, unreported, that would be vital to making an appropriate judgment. I rarely trust that I have the whole story.