The Deadliest Month Since...

I was recently struck by how often I see the phrase, "the deadliest month since," when reading about Iraq, and wondered, how much longer will we allow this madness to continue?  And yesterday I read that:

Democrats gave up their demand for troop-withdrawal deadlines in an Iraq war spending package yesterday, abandoning their top goal of bringing U.S. troops home and handing President Bush a victory in a debate that has roiled Congress for months.

Any meaningful action to bring George Bush's misbegotten war to an end is out...well, except periodic reports on progress.  But we all know how George Bush measures progress. Why, it was less than six months ago that he stated unequivocably about Iraq that:

Absolutely, we're winning.

So as House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid work to "hammer out a final agreement" that merely requires Bush to report on his version of progress, now seems like a good time for a reminder about how another kind of progress in Iraq has played out, starting six months after the mission was accomplished:

November was the deadliest month yet for the American military in Iraq. - November 2003

The deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq ended Friday with 137 servicemembers having lost their lives. - April 2004

The U.S. military in Iraq suffered its deadliest month since last year's invasion with more military personnel killed in action in November than in any equivalent period, the Pentagon's figures show. - November 2004

This  month, 60 US troops have been killed - 10 in the past three days - making May the deadliest month for the US military since January.  - May 2005

That brought to 94 the number of American troops killed in Iraq in October, the deadliest month for Americans since January 2005. - October 2005

An American soldier was killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday, making April the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq this year. - April 2006

Three U.S. Marines also were killed, making October the deadliest month for American forces this year. - October 2006

Five more US troops were killed in Iraq, the military said, making December the year's deadliest month for US troops with the toll reaching 108. - December 2006

April April was the deadliest month for the U.S. military so far this year, with 102 personnel killed in action. - April 2007

 
Yesterday Reid said:

For heaven's sake, look where we've come. It's a lot more than the president ever expected he'd have to agree to.

And how is the White House describing the deal?

MR. SNOW: What will be seen as a victory is providing, through the end of the fiscal year, the funding and flexibility the forces need. That's what we've wanted all along.

What they've wanted all along.  And just the other day I read that May is on pace to be "the deadliest month since..."