Spinning US Troop Casualties in Iraq

Juan Cole of Informed Content has a new column at Salon that discusses the latest Bush administration spin on the surge in Iraq. Predictably, the Bushies would have you believe that the surge is working despite the fact that the "political situation has deteriorated substantially."

What really caught my eye, however, is the trend of US Troop casualties in the month of July. The Bushies point to the death count of 80 as evidence that the surge is working because 80 US troops killed in action in Iraq is the lowest number since November '06 when 70 US troops were killed.

What does the trend look like when comparing the death count in July from previous years?

Click to enlarge

For more information, see Foreign Policy and Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.