We keep hearing that progress is being made in Iraq. Just last night, Bush told Charlie Rose that sectarian violence was down:
As the two men sat face to face in a room in the Waldorf-Astoria, Mr. Rose raised the issue of military buildup almost casually, saying, “How is what’s sometimes called ‘the surge’ going?”Huh. So, Bush knows sectarian violence is down. But, the Iraqi government won't release information about deaths from sectarian violence. What a coincidence:
Mr. Bush’s answer was mixed. “The good news is that sectarian death is down in Baghdad,” he replied. “The bad news is that spectacular car bombs still go off, in a way that tends to shake the confidence of the Iraqi people that their government can protect them.”
The United Nations criticized Iraq's government on Wednesday for not disclosing politically sensitive civilian casualty figures and said the humanitarian crisis there was rapidly worsening....Seriously, why would anyone believe anything Bush says about Iraq? He has never leveled with the American people. Ever.
...The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government had withheld data on civilian deaths amid spiraling sectarian violence between majority Shi'ites and once dominant Sunnis.
