The "New" Way Forward: An Update

Yesterday the White House issued a progress report on the new way forward in Iraq that's chock full of "hopeful" signs of progress and warnings about withdrawing before victory is achieved.  But it seems that the victory goalposts have been moved again, because instead of the previous goal of, "a free Iraq that is democratic, that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself, and be a strong ally in this war against radicals and extremists," what we are now:

...looking for in Iraq is a government that can protect its people, deliver basic services to all its citizens, and function as a democracy even amid violence.

And tucked in the middle of this laundry list of astonishing signs of normalcy, is this warning:  

We Can Expect More Casualties As Our Forces Enter Enemy Strongholds That Have Never Been Challenged Before.

More than four years into this war, and predicting that people will die is the only thing this administration has gotten right:

Insurgents launched a deadly coordinated attack on an American combat patrol, detonating a roadside bomb, then firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the soldiers, the U.S. military said Friday. Five troops were killed.

...which brings the total U.S. deaths in June to 100, the third month in a row that that "milestone" has been reached.

And in other news:

The Security Council voted Friday to immediately close down the U.N. inspection bodies that played a pivotal role in monitoring Iraq's unconventional weapons programs under Saddam Hussein.

The resolution terminating the mandate of the U.N. bodies responsible for overseeing the dismantling of Saddam's programs to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles was approved by a vote of 14-0.