American Death Toll Down in Iraq But the War is Far From Over

One day left in October, and it looks like the U.S. death toll is going to be lower than it's been for a couple years. The Pentagon's representative said that it's too early to call this a trend. Iraq is still a dangerous place.

There's still fighting going on, and the sort of toss-a-grenade-out-the window violence that killed a shopper in Baghdad recently.

And, American soldiers are getting killed: 2/3 from combat this month.

As tragic as these deaths are, Iraq is looking less hopeless. Provincial security has been steadily being transferred to Iraqi (or Kurdish, in the north). Iraq's utilities are getting repaired and rebuilt after three decades of neglect, and sheiks are deciding that Al Qaeda isn't a good group to support.

"Less hopeless?" I'd say "hopeful."

I've compared aspects of the War on Terror to World War II. There are similarities. But the current conflict isn't a replay of that mid-century war.

For starters, WWII had a few well-defined nations threatening the rest of the world. The War on Terror is being fought against a loose collection of Islamic groups, with territories that shift from year to year.

I'll be surprised if I live to see the end of the War on Terror. But I hope that my children, or their children, will be free from religious fanatics who favor violence when it comes to spreading their beliefs.