Iraq - more violence, more deaths

(USAToday) "The number of sectarian killings each month in Baghdad has more than tripled since February, and the violence has not slowed despite a major offensive in the capital."

(Reuters) "U.S. military casualties have surged in Iraq in recent weeks, with U.S. troops engaging in perilous urban sweeps to curb sectarian violence in Baghdad while facing unrelenting violence elsewhere. At least 44 U.S. troops have been killed so far in October. At the current pace, the month would be the deadliest for U.S. forces since January 2005......The number of U.S. troops wounded in combat also has surged."

(Guardian) The commonplace nature of violence in Iraq.

The Iraq Survey Group Rules Out Victory in Iraq.
(The ISG is James Baker's group set to advise the president on an Iraq strategy after the election.)

Bush's prepared statement before the press conference, "that will enable the United States to achieve our objective, which is an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself, defend itself, and be an ally in this war on terror."

Not Democracy, Not Freedom. Stability.

Also: Just to put it out there, because it was mentioned, the mandate for US troops in Iraq is set to expire in December unless the Iraqi parliament votes to extend it. Think about the politics of that for an already wobbling Maliki government.