As Iraq Deaths Fall, Dems Shift Primary Talking Point

Sat, Dec 1, 2007 at 6:43 pm | AmerPundit

On Thursday I noted November was the least deadly month for U.S. troops since the war began. It was even lower than November 2003, a month before finding Saddam. Gateway Pundit points to some more promising statistics.

  • Overall violence down by at least 50%
  • Civilian casualties down by 60%
  • Baghdad casualties down by 75%
  • Basra violence down by 90%
  • Terrorist attacks down by 80%
  • IED attacks down by 55%
  • Average daily attacks down by 42%
  • Foreign insurgent flow into Iraq down by more than 50%
  • Suicide bombings down 70%
  • Foreign terrorist flow down by at least 50%
  • Diala province violence down by 68%

Remembering this, what do Democrats do now? Iraq is not an ideal situation, but hearing its name no longer only gives negative sentiment.

The Los Angeles Times provides an answer:

WASHINGTON — – As voting fast approaches in a hotly competitive presidential primary campaign, the battle in the Democratic field has now focused intensively on healthcare and the question of how “universal” a coverage plan must be…

The debate marks a shift from only a few weeks ago when the Iraq war was the dominant point of contention among the top Democrats. With violence down in Iraq and Democratic campaigns eager to distinguish themselves before the all-important Jan. 3 caucuses in Iowa, healthcare is emerging as the party’s preferred topic.

Then there’s this from Politico:

Congressional Democrats are reporting a striking change in districts across the country: Voters are shifting their attention away from the Iraq war.

Rep. Jim Cooper, a moderate Democrat from Tennessee, said not a single constituent has asked about the war during his nearly two-week long Thanksgiving recess. Rep. Michael E. Capuano, an anti-war Democrat from Massachusetts, said only three of 64 callers on a town hall teleconference asked about Iraq, a reflection that the war may be losing power as a hot-button issue in his strongly Democratic district.

First-term Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.) — echoing a view shared by many of her colleagues — said illegal immigration and economic unease have trumped the Iraq war as the top-ranking concerns of her constituents.

So, who does the health care shift benefit? Glenn Reynolds:

All of this advantages Hillary — more pro-war (despite her waffling) and more healthcare-oriented than either Richardson or Obama. Oh, and there’s Edwards, I guess.

I have a feeling it’ll benefit Hillary most.

2 Responses to “As Iraq Deaths Fall, Dems Shift Primary Talking Point”

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  1. 1libhomo on Dec 2, 2007 at 12:25 pm:

    I don’t think there is any logical basis for believing that the violence in Iraq actually is going down. The sources for this claim are the Pentagon (acting under Bush administration orders) and the puppet regime in Iraq. Neither has any credibility.

  2. 2Brennan on Dec 2, 2007 at 12:49 pm:

    Nice try, but the inconvenient truth is that others have witnessed the improvements.

    Just two examples:

    AFP:

    The gaudy orange, green and purple electronic palm trees flashing in the dark alert you that you’re getting close to one of Baghdad’s bustling nightspots.

    The palms, like a mirage, can be seen from way down the darkened streets, lighting up the night and giving a promise of normality in the otherwise bleak and deserted capital, ravaged by four years of insurgency and sectarian strife.

    And then, suddenly, you’ve arrived and the mirage has become an oasis of generator-driven light; a colourful jumble of trendy juice bars, cosy restaurants, fruit shops, roadside eateries and fish vendors, where children play, families dine and lovers meet.

    “Even two or three months ago we would have been afraid to come here at night,” said 20-year-old Hussein Salah, an off-duty soldier, slurping a milkshake with his wife, Shihad, at the Mishmesha (apricot) juice bar in Baghdad’s relatively safe Karrada suburb.

    “Now we sometimes sit outside here till one or two in the morning. It is quite safe. The security situation is vastly improved,” said Salah, the orange light from a nearby flashing palm alternatively brightening and dimming his clean-shaven face.

    Declines in Iraqi civilian casualties and a sharp reduction in bomb and mortar attacks have sparked optimism that the capital is at last starting to revive.

    The
    New York Times    :

    The security improvements in most neighborhoods are real. Days now pass without a car bomb, after a high of 44 in the city in February. The number of bodies appearing on Baghdad’s streets has plummeted to about 5 a day, from as many as 35 eight months ago, and suicide bombings across Iraq fell to 16 in October, half the number of last summer and down sharply from a recent peak of 59 in March, the American military says.

    As a result, for the first time in nearly two years, people are moving with freedom around much of this city. In more than 50 interviews across Baghdad, it became clear that while there were still no-go zones, more Iraqis now drive between Sunni and Shiite areas for work, shopping or school, a few even after dark. In the most stable neighborhoods of Baghdad, some secular women are also dressing as they wish. Wedding bands are playing in public again, and at a handful of once shuttered liquor stores customers now line up outside in a collective rebuke to religious vigilantes from the Shiite Mahdi Army.

    We could get into Steny Hoyer saying the surge is working, too.

    They must be Bush Administration and Puppet Regime members, too.

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