Deaths in Iraq Prove Surge's Success

According to an anonymous, but highly placed source in the Bush Administration, the increase in both Iraqi and U.S. Military deaths since the "surge" began is "proof that the President's 'surge' strategy is working."

"These are desperate people," said the source, "and they are killing more Iraqis and more Americans just to make it appear that things are not going well for us. But when you look behind superficial indicators, like the number of dead Iraqis, the number of dead Americans, the number of bombs going off, the number of bridges that been blown up, the number of Iraqis who feel safe, well, you can see clear and undeniable evidence that the President's 'surge' strategy is working."

"And I'm a highly placed source," he continued, correcting the way that he was described in the previous paragraph. "I'm not just a any old source. I'm highly placed."

The source (who says he is highly placed) pointed out that America has learned important lessons in the Viet Nam war and that we should appply to the the situation in Iraq which "definitely is not a war, just situation." In Viet Nam, according to the source, we made desicions based on body counts. We now understand that is was a mistake in Viet Nam, and it would be a mistake to do it in Iraq.

"I can understand the temptation go by body counts," continued the source. "It's just that you can't make decisions based on body counts, when they don't support what you've alread decided.

According to news reports, 1,646 Iraqi civilians were killed in February, a number which surged to 1,869 in March. The number of Iraqi policemen killed in surged from 131 to 165, while the number of Iraqi soldiers killed surged from 29 to 44. Only the number of US military personnlel killed failed to surge, with the numbers in February and March being about equivelent in the "high eighties."

"These numbers are surging," said the source. "They might be surging in a direction that some people might call 'the wrong direction,' but they are surging."

"And these numbers have to be put in perspective. With a population of 26.7 million people dying of natural causes like old age and starvation, 1800 more dead Iraqis is not that signifcant. We need to look at the big picture."

The big picture, according to the source is that in spite of all appearances, all statistics, all data, and all objective evidence, "they are losing and we are winning." " That's the only conclusion you can come to," the source, declares "if you don't get stuck on facts. Robert McNamara got stuck on facts and look what happened to him."

According to the source, you've got to look beyond the facts to get the big picture and if you look at the big picture you can definitely see that the surge is working.

"It's working," he said, resolutely.

What would convince the highly placed source and the President that the surge wasn't working? "Well, basically, nothing," said the source. "The rise in Iraqi deaths proves that the surge is working because the enemy is desperate; a drop in deaths would prove it's working because there are fewer attacks. A drop in US casualties would prove the surge was working because the mission was really being accomplished; a rise US casualties would prove that the surge was working because more enemy were being confronted. The absence of attacks on US soil proves the surge is working becuase the enemy is too busy in Iraq to do us any harm; an attack on US soil would prove it was working because the enemy was being driven out of Iraq and forced to do mischief elsewhere."

"The surge is working," he said again.

"It's undeniable," he repeated.

"Completely undeniable," he asserted.

"Even for people who are in total denial, like the President, his administration and me," said the source, "it's undeniable."

"Why can't everyone see that and just stop denying that it's working?"