Goodman of Globe Recycles Iraqi Civilian Death Canard

Boston Globe/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” - Winston Churchill

In the course of a Boston Globe column today in which she calls for a referendum in Iraq as to whether the US stays or goes, Ellen Goodman writes:

"Today we have nearly 3,000 American deaths, and by one estimate 650,000 Iraqi deaths."

Ever the environmentalist, Goodman is dutifully recycling the findings of a report published in the Lancet magazine on civilian deaths in Iraq. This study, prepared by two anti-war partisans, has - as I noted here back in October - been thoroughly debunked. See more recently this piece which among other things quotes "Hot Air" thusly:

"The Lancet study would have us believe that 2.5% of Iraq has been killed by the war in the past three years. It would have us believe that more Iraqis have died as a result of a mid-sized insurgency than Americans died in World War II. Or the Civil War. Or Germans, who died in World War II, fighting against the combined might of the USSR, the British Empire and the United States, at a time when Germany was reduced to conscripting young boys and old men to resist those armies as they approached Berlin.

So, yes, 650,000 people Iraqis have died "by one estimate." But does Goodman, in good faith, believe that estimate? If not, why does she cite it, and what does it tell us about her good faith and credibilty? For that matter, what does it tell us about her credibility if she does believe it?

Finkelstein recently returned from Iraq. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Ellen Goodman ping to Today show list.

[maryz]

Cut her a little slack . . . everyone knows women are no good at numbers -- just ask Larry Summers! ;-)

[governsleastgovernsbest]

There goes your appointment as President of Harvard, maryz ;-)

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

"Today we have nearly 3,000 American deaths, and by one estimate 650,000 Iraqi deaths."

I have a B.S. in Mathematics. (Really.) I estimate that there have been 125 Iraqi deaths. Feel free to say:

By one mathematician's estimate, there have been 125 Iraqi deaths.

[theDentist]

Ellen Goodman is a dolt at best. I pray she didn't reproduce.

[Ron2]

If the numbers prove to be correct, the answer is easy. Tell the Iraqi's to stop killing "each other". They throw these numbers out and try and make us look like we killed these people. They are killing each other.

[wacko rightwinger]

"Some say" that Ellen Goodman is a complete hack who is pushing an agenda and doing a disservice to her readers. "An expert who wishes to remain anonymous" has questioned her journalistic integrity.

[maryz]

IIRC, she has a daughter . . .

[theDentist]

I do hope the daughter has made use of her brains, as opposed to Mom.

[alloysteel]

650,000 makea a nice round number, easy to grasp, and like a softball, easy to just throw out there. Nothing has to be proven, because an earlier quote of that figure has already appeared in print, making the citation easier and easier every time it is brought up. Also, the factor conveniently forgotten, is that virtually ALL the deaths of Iraqis that have occurred, may honestly be attributed to the "insurgents" and sectarian fighting that is going on in Iraq. A few were as a result of engagement of US or coalition forces with these same "insurgents", as collateral damage. There have been, regrettably, several occasions where some troops greatly exceeded their authority and opened fire on what later turned out to be unarmed civilians.

Sometime soon, one of these quick-witted columnists is going to seize on the fact that more US soldiers have been killed in combat in Iraq, than the number who died as a result of the events of September 11, 2001. And they will say, well really, shouldn't we stop now?

A most specious statement, and totally irrelevant.

[Rummyfan]

Hello. I am an idiot. Yet the Boston Globe publishes my mental drool just the same!

[maryz]

Drat! I was counting on that, too! ;-)

Here's a link to a a piece by Steven Moore on the 650,000 figure:

After doing survey research in Iraq for nearly two years, I was surprised to read that a study by a group from Johns Hopkins University claims that 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war. Don't get me wrong, there have been far too many deaths in Iraq by anyone's measure; some of them have been friends of mine. But the Johns Hopkins tally is wildly at odds with any numbers I have seen in that country. Survey results frequently have a margin of error of plus or minus 3% or 5%--not 1200%.

I remembered seeing a piece in the WSJ (print) tearing the study apart -- I couldn't find it googling, but found that this Steven Moore had a piece in the WSJ on it.

[Pox]

That's just it, the numbers are fallacious. We know Iraqi's are killing other Iraqi's, and for various reasons.

The issue here is the continued assault on OIF by the MSM with outright lies and blatant biased coverage. The MSM/DNC cannot, I repeat CANNOT, let OIF be successful and have the Republicans look competent.