US Combat Casualties in Iraq Lowest Since Beginning of War
— Ace

Five.

There were, however, 11 noncombat deaths, almost all vehicle crashes.

U.S. combat casualties in Iraq fell to their lowest level last month, with most of the fatalities concentrated outside of Baghdad in the Ninawa Province along the Syrian border, according to a CNSNews.com analysis of U.S. Defense Department data. (One non-combat casualty was still under investigation as this story went to press.)

Five combat deaths have been reported for November so far, the lowest total of any month going back to beginning of the war in March 2003. That total compares with 29 combat deaths in November 2007, a drop of about 83 percent.

...

If the casualty reports for November remain unchanged, they will match the historic low for U.S. combat deaths in Iraq set in July 2008, according to a CNSNews.com database on the war.

Terrorists and insurgents operating in Iraq continue to favor the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as way to induce casualties against better armed coalition forces, national security experts have said in U.S. congressional testimony.

But most U.S. combat casualties reported in November occurred when assailants, dressed as Iraqi army soldiers, opened fire.

Shocker: Media Doesn't Report Not-Quite-So-Grim Milestones: And the media claims it doesn't encourage attacks, huh?

They're defended by... Dick Cheney.

Some U.S. officials have suggested the media have consciously turned their attention away from the war now that President BushÂ’s surge strategy has met with success. This point was made by Vice President Dick Cheney at the National Press Club earlier this year.

“I see just in general less reporting, less interest,” he said. “The fact is that people have got other things to worry about. And there have been a lot of other issues to cover. I mean, we're in the middle of a presidential campaign. That's big news. Gasoline prices are $4 a gallon. That's big news. So it doesn't receive as much attention. Good news never does. That's just the way our system works.”

“But I do think — I think the surge has been enormously successful,” he said. “And anybody who looks objectively at where we are today in Iraq would have to conclude that we're in far better shape than we were just a couple of years ago.”

Our system works like that to some extent, Mr. Vice President. And yet I assure you that when we won WWII, it was not downplayed in newspapers as being welcome, and therefore boring, news.

A watershed changed has occurred in Iraq, but the media are not interested in reporting it.

Their interest may perk up around January 20, 2009.

Posted by: Ace at 11:37 AM | Comments (27)
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"Shut Up, You Dirty Baathist:" Judge Gives "Chemical Ali" the Death Sentence
— Ace

He actually said "Shut up, you dirty Baathist" to a codefendant mouthing off in court (also sentenced to death), but close enough.

Chemical Ali is a dirty Baathist, and he will soon be shutting up, forever.

Thanks to MikeH.

Posted by: Ace at 10:56 AM | Comments (50)
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Racists: Georgia Democrats May Not Turn Out for Martin Because of His Race
— Ace

Being a white guy and all.

The latest Public Policy Polling (D) poll out of Georgia has Saxby Chambliss up by 7 points -- 53-46 (that's not a lot of undecideds). And reading FiveThirtyEight, it's not hard to see why:

Whatever turns out to be the case, at the close of early voting Wednesday, according to the Secretary of State's office 345,564 had voted, and 22.5% of those votes were African-American, an ominous dropoff from the 34.5% of black early voters for the general election.

If Saxby does manage to significantly expand from his 3 point lead on November 4th, we can start writing the story of how the African American and youth turnout for Obama really mattered.

..

As I wrote in The Straight-Ticket Youth Vote, the identity politics vote based on Obama's personal characteristics -- young and African-American -- may have counted for as much as 6 points of his victory margin -- about 4 points in the increased youth margin and turnout, and about 2 points in increased African American turnout and margin. Not only did this benefit Obama but young people also voted straight ticket for Democratic Congressional candidates. The youth vote on November 4th was about as Democratic as the Latino vote -- and twice as large.

A little good news from Georgia would be welcome. Personally, I need it.

Posted by: Ace at 10:53 AM | Comments (38)
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Teh Fred on the Economy
— Ace

more...

Posted by: Ace at 10:44 AM | Comments (23)
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Nuclear Option: Franken Laying Predicate for Senate to Vote Him Into Office Even if He Loses the Vote?
— Ace

Franken's behind by 340 and almost guaranteed to lose the recount. He's going to be behind by enough that even his demands that dubious absentee votes be counted won't save him.

A reader explains why the secretary of state's site shows Franken behind: Simply because the recount isn't finished yet, and many of the uncounted precincts went big for Coleman. So the current tally is not reflective of the likely final tally.

So is that it for Franken? No. The Senate can simply vote him into office if they so choose, and Franken's spurious arguments about "uncounted votes" may be an effort to give them the pretext to do just that.

In 1975 the Senate refused to certify the victory of a Republican who'd won in New Hampshire by two votes. Ultimately a compromise was reached -- a new election-- which the Democrat won.

The only thing that can prevent this is a filibuster... which may or may not be available to us, depending on today's vote in Georgia. And even a filibuster would only block the Democrats' attempts to seat Franken -- it would not get Coleman certified as the winner.

Similar: Powerline agrees Franken is lobbying Reid for just this scheme.

Another 171 Ballots Suddenly Discovered: Oy. They're from a swing district, so ought not to break heavily for Franken (Captain Ed guesses an 11 vote pickup based on district breakdown).

I'm less sanguine. I kinda assume all batches of "suddenly discovered uncounted ballots" will go heavily for Franken, because, um, they're filling them out in their basements this week.

Posted by: Ace at 10:35 AM | Comments (43)
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Mumbai pics you won't see on the nightly news
— Purple Avenger

The Daily Mail isn't pulling any punches here. I'd like to see Michael Moore working on the cleanup crew...since there is no terrorist threat. A few weeks sponging brains and gore off walls and floors, might open even his douchbag eyes.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 10:15 AM | Comments (32)
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Mel Martinez To Retire From Senate In 2010
— DrewM

One of the more annoying Republican Senators is retiring at the end of his term in 2 years.

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who has struggled to boost public support because of his close ties to President George W. Bush, announced Tuesday he will not seek a second term in 2010, saying he wants to spend more time with his family.

The Republican pushed an immigration reform bill that was unpopular with many in his party, and his seat was widely seen as vulnerable in two years. However, Martinez rejected suggestions he faced difficult re-election prospects in a state won last month by Democrat Barack Obama.

"I've faced much tougher obstacles in my life," Martinez said. "My decision is not based on re-election prospects, but on what on what I want to do with the next eight years of my life."

While I can't stand Martinez, there's no doubt that his personal story is one that probably couldn't happen any where but America. He came here from Cuba at age 15, spoke no English and rose to become a cabinet secretary and Senator. That's impressive regardless of his politics.

But here's a reminder of the kind of rhetoric that made Martinez so obnoxious.

I think we have to understand that the (2006 midterm) election did speak to one issue, and that was that it’s not about bashing people, it’s about presenting a hopeful face. … Border security only, enforcement only, harshness only is not the message that I believe America wants to convey.”

That was Martinez right after the 2006 midterms and just as he was about to become chairman of the RNC. I'm not sure what school of leadership argues that you should misrepresent and insult the people you are supposed to represent, especially right after a crushing defeat, but apparently Mel is a follower of it.

Let the scrambling begin!

Posted by: DrewM at 09:38 AM | Comments (63)
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NFL Picks Week 13
— Dave in Texas

Top 5 pickem results from the 4 day weekend:

1 Nodakdrunkhobos 108
2 Is pigskin kosher? (joshin) 105
3 buzzion 104
4 Gib 102
4 mesablue 102
6 Dave in Texas 101
6 Physics Geek 101

Somebody I know mighta picked up 4 points on somebody else I know. I'm not sayin who.

BOOYAH

It's all about the finish baby.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 09:05 AM | Comments (9)
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Associated Press Shifts the Blame
— Slublog

That whole mortgage meltdown?

It's all Bush's fault.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to an Associated Press review of regulatory documents.

The article doesn't mention Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or the Community Reinvestment Act. It blames the crisis on lack of government regulation and too much trust in "market forces." As Investor's Business Daily points out, it wasn't the Bush administration who opposed such regulation.

In 2003, Bush's Treasury secretary, John Snow, proposed what the New York Times called "the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago." Did Democrats in Congress welcome it? Hardly.

"I do not think we are facing any kind of a crisis," declared Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., in a response typical of those who viewed Fannie and Freddie as a party patronage machine that the GOP was trying to dismantle. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," added Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del.

It seems the media is not content to simply cover for the Democrats for their role in causing this crisis - they've got to find a way to completely blame George W. Bush even if that means rewriting history. After all, honest reporting would muddle the future headlines singing praise to the Lightworker for solving the crisis those evil, capitalism-loving Republicans left behind.

Memo to the Associated Press: die faster, please.

Posted by: Slublog at 06:03 AM | Comments (88)
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Idiot's Solution: Let's Abolish School Districts!
— Gabriel Malor

Former IBM CEO and chairman of the Teaching Commission, Louis Gerstner, has some idiotic suggestions for reforming education in this country. They are too numerous to copy in full, but here's a taste:

I believe the problem lies with the structure and corporate governance of our public schools. We have over 15,000 school districts in America; each of them, in its own way, is involved in standards, curriculum, teacher selection, classroom rules and so on. This unbelievably unwieldy structure is incapable of executing a program of fundamental change. While we have islands of excellence as a result of great reform programs, we continually fail to scale up systemic change.

Therefore, I recommend that President-elect Barack Obama convene a meeting of our nation's governors and seek agreement to the following:

- Abolish all local school districts, save 70 (50 states; 20 largest cities). Some states may choose to leave some of the rest as community service organizations, but they would have no direct involvement in the critical task of establishing standards, selecting teachers, and developing curricula.

First, almost every state has set its own uniform curricula requirements and required state-wide, standardized proficiency exams. Doing away with local school districts is not going to change that.

Second, he needs to re-think the idea that "structure and corporate governance" are the heart of the problem for public schools. He suggests that having local school districts somehow makes students less likely to graduate from high school, but gives little reason to believe students will suddenly become more successful if we make a cosmetic change to the administrative pecking order.

The disconnect between the claimed problem and Gerstner's solution leaves me with the idea that he's not really aiming at helping students. This is about "leveling the playing field." The point is to take money from successful, wealthy school districts and give it to ailing, poor districts. Remember, the focus is on minimum standards.

One of his other solutions is to increase teacher pay and allow "school leaders" (which is what we'll be calling district superintendents after he's abolished districts?) to remove underperforming teachers. I support paying individual teachers what they are worth. Teachers and reformers have only the teachers' unions to blame for preventing that. But relocating hiring and firing decisions from the local districts to the governors' offices is not likely to improve that situation. On the contrary, it is more likely that the unions will just use the reduction in competition to secure more privileges at the expense of students, like the seniority-based pay scale.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:27 AM | Comments (103)
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