AP report on Iraq casualties:  "The AP count for November is the second-lowest since it began to track casualty figures in April 2005. "  The Iraqi casualty count includes both military and civilian deaths.  But will Obama's tergiversating surge meet the standard of Bush's bold surge? 

The oddity of this whole debate is that the initial Democratic criticism of the Rumsfeld-Bush policy was that it lacked sufficient troops.  So over Iraq the country has been faced with one party that reversed its initial policy of more troops and the other party who fought (and explained) the war ineptly.  In the electoral battle between hypocrisy and incompetence the hypocrites won.  And tonight our Ariel-in-Chief addresses the nation on Afghanistan from West Point, having deserted his Greek temple for an Army fortress.