Via Kevin Drum, a graph showing U.S. troop fatalities in Iraq for 2007, versus 2006.

As he points out, claims that troop deaths have fallen are simply false.

Juan Cole pulled together the original numbers, from iCasualties.

I saw on CNN this smarmy Bush administration official come and and say that US troop deaths had fallen because of the surge, which is why we should support it. Just read the following chart bottom to top and compare 2006 month by month to 2007. US troop deaths haven’t fallen. They are way up….

Here are the US troop death via Icasualties.org.

8-2007 77	8-2006 65
7-2007 79	7-2006 43
6-2007 101	6-2006 61
5-2007 126	5-2006 69
4-2007 104	4-2006 76
3-2007 81	3-2006 31
2-2007 81	2-2006 55
1-2007 83	1-2006 62

Please be aware that not everything you hear on the news is true. Be particularly skeptical this coming month as Bush tries to sell the country on the idea that somehow things in Iraq have gotten better.

I also heard that CNN report, and if you listened very closely, you would hear them say that “troop deaths are less than they were in the spring”. Which is true this year as it is always true, because in summer when the heat is high there are fewer attacks. That has nothing to do with this year’s escalation though, so don’t be fooled.