A NUMBERS "GAME," PART II

A report in the LA Times gives the number of detained suspected insurgents at 24,000: "estimated 24,000 suspected insurgents in American custody in Iraq." Now, if we add the 10,000 extremists that Fredo claimed have been captured or killed, then we have in excess of 34,000 insurgents supposedly taken out of the fight. According to the best estimate I can find, this should leave a net of about -4,000 insurgents.

Worse, a WaPo report states that the Deputy Prime Minister said there won't be reconciliation even a year from now:

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told her congressional delegation, "There's not going to be political reconciliation by this September; there's not going to be political reconciliation by next September."

We can only come to the conclusion that William F. Buckley did 18 months ago:

...the American objective in Iraq has failed.