Their patience has payed off, there’s finally news to report!

2007 is deadliest year for U.S. in Iraq

The U.S. military on Tuesday announced the deaths of five more soldiers and one sailor, making 2007 the deadliest year for U.S. troops despite a recent downturn, according to an Associated Press count.

At least 853 American military personnel have died in Iraq so far this year ? the highest annual toll since the war began in March 2003, according to AP figures.

The grim milestone passed despite a sharp drop in U.S. and Iraqi deaths here in recent months, after a 30,000-strong U.S. force buildup. There were 39 deaths in October, compared to 65 in September and 84 in August.

A common statistical ploy: when the recent numbers aren’t to your liking, expand the timeframe. The media has been fretting lately because of the surge’s success in recent months. How to get around that…how to get around that? Oh, I know! Let’s not just look at recent months. Of course, all this obsession with death counts obscures the real question: Are we making progress toward victory? And at this time, that answer seems to be “yes”.

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