U.S. excluded car, suicide bombs from Iraq murder toll (1 Viewer)

[KidRocks]

I don't know if anyone ran this story already but I thought it was interesting enough to publish it here either way. My consensus is that they are getting desperate at the White House, the Pentagon and the military headquaters over there in Iraq.

Oh what a tangled web weave...








http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/11/iraq.deaths.ap/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The U.S. military did not count people killed by bombs, mortars, rockets or other mass attacks when it reported a dramatic drop in the number of murders in the Baghdad area last month, the U.S. command said Monday.

The decision to include only victims of drive-by shootings and those killed by torture and execution, usually at the hands of death squads, allowed U.S. officials to argue that a security crackdown that began in the capital August 7 had more than halved the city's murder rate.

But the types of slayings, including suicide bombings, that the U.S. excluded from the category of "murder" were not made explicit at the time. That led to confusion after Iraqi Health Ministry figures showed that 1,536 people died violently in and around Baghdad in August, nearly the same number as in July.

The figures raise serious questions about the success of the security operation launched by the U.S.-led coalition. When they released the murder rate figures, U.S. officials and their Iraqi counterparts were eager to show progress in restoring security in Baghdad at a time when Iraq appeared on the verge of civil war.

At the end of August, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, said violence had dropped significantly because of the operation. Caldwell said "attacks in Baghdad were well below the monthly average for July. Since August 7, the murder rate in Baghdad dropped 52 percent from the daily rate for July."

However, Caldwell did not make the key distinction that the rate he was referring to excluded a significant part of the daily violence in and around the capital. On Monday, for example, at least 20 of the 26 people slain in the capital were killed in bombings...

 

[Befuddled_Stoner]

Great idea!

Things not going your way? Just tweak the criteria quantifying the bad **** that happens as a direct result of your policies, and suddenly everything looks much better! It works so well for the deficit, and the Wars on Drugs, and Poverty…why not the War on Terror?

 

[aps]

I had read this somewhere and meant to post it. Thanks for posting it, as I believe that one of the conservatives on this board started a thread about how the # of deaths were down. Ummm, wrong.

Bill Maher was on Hardball last night and pointed out that this administration doesn't bat an eye when it gets caught in its lies. Cheney had an excuse for every lie he told when confronted with those lies on Meet the Press. I guess a pathological or complusive liar may not even realize he/she is lying, which is probably why Cheney can just blow off being confronted with his lies.

 

[tecoyah]

This would be sad....if it wasnt so damn infuriating. And people wonder why trust in the administration has fallen so Low.

 

[aps]

This would be sad....if it wasnt so damn infuriating. And people wonder why trust in the administration has fallen so Low.

As far as I know, the only people who are confused as to why trust in this administration has fallen so low are the Bush apologists/a$$kissers.

 

[Goobieman]

I don't know if anyone ran this story already but I thought it was interesting enough to publish it here either way. My consensus is that they are getting desperate at the White House, the Pentagon and the military headquaters over there in Iraq.

The US also exlcused the 9-11 attacks in the US murder figures.
Why?
Because they were terrorist attacks, not criminal murders.
Could they be doing the same thing in Iraq?

Should the 9/11 attacks be counted as murders?

 

[TheNextEra]

The US also exlcused the 9-11 attacks in the US murder figures.
Why?
Because they were terrorist attacks, not criminal murders.
Could they be doing the same thing in Iraq?

Should the 9/11 attacks be counted as murders?

The difference is that they intentionally did this to make it seem that deaths in Iraq were going down, when in fact they were just being catagorized differently not that they went down significantly.

I can't believe there are administration apologists for this.

 

[Goobieman]

The difference is that they intentionally did this to make it seem that deaths in Iraq were going down, when in fact they were just being catagorized differently not that they went down significantly.

I can't believe there are administration apologists for this.

Apologizing for what?
Consistency?

If the 9/11 deaths were victims of terrorism, not murders, then the victims or car bimbs, etc, in Iraq were victims of terrorist attacks, not murders.

The Bush haters will find a way to spin anything. :roll:

 

[tecoyah]

Apologizing for what?
Consistency?

If the 9/11 deaths were victims of terrorism, not murders, then the victims or car bimbs, etc, in Iraq were victims of terrorist attacks, not murders.

The Bush haters will find a way to spin anything. :roll:

Surely, even you see the manipulation in play here Goobie. Consistency would mean not changing the way these deaths are reported. It will be interesting to see next month:

"Photo: An Iraq family mourns as they arrive to take the body of their relative from the hospital mortuary in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday Sept.13, 2006. Police on Wednesday said they found the bodies of 65 men who had been tortured and then shot before being dumped around Baghdad. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Bring 'em on: Two Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers were killed and 25 Soldiers were wounded by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at approximately 2:50 p.m. today west of Baghdad. The wounded Soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to a military hospital. Of the wounded, six have been returned to duty and 15 were listed as not serious. (MNF - Iraq)

Bring 'em on: A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 10:45 a.m. today when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad. (MNF - Iraq)

Bring 'em on: A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier died at approximately 2:35 a.m. today from wounds he received when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire southeast of Baghdad. (MNF - Iraq)

Bring 'em on: A Soldier attached to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, was wounded by enemy fire Wednesday near Mosul. The Soldier was transported to a military hospital where he later died of wounds. (MNF - Iraq)"

http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/

 

[TheNextEra]

Apologizing for what?
Consistency?

That's the problem they AREN'T being consistent. Those types of deaths were counted UNTIL NOW, then they use the figures NOW (without the extra deaths) to try and make it seem that deaths are going down in Iraq significantly.

That is intentional dishonesty and misleading the people.

The Bush haters will find a way to spin anything. :roll:

Yes, because showing Inconsistencies in the way this administration is not only doing things but reporting things is being a Bush Hater. :roll: Whatever floats your boat.

 

[Indy]

That's the problem they AREN'T being consistent. Those types of deaths were counted UNTIL NOW, then they use the figures NOW (without the extra deaths) to try and make it seem that deaths are going down in Iraq significantly.

That is intentional dishonesty and misleading the people.



Yes, because showing Inconsistencies in the way this administration is not only doing things but reporting things is being a Bush Hater. :roll: Whatever floats your boat.

If this is true then its disgusting. Shame on the administration, and shame on those out there who are still supporting them. Put into the presidency by God my ***.