As of yesterday, three years to the week after the president triumphantly proclaimed, "Let freedom reign," we are now seeing the end of the deadliest quarter for U.S. forces in Iraq since the war began.

As reader W.B. noted via email, using this data, we're also ending the deadliest four-month period and the deadliest five-month period. For all the talk from war supporters about "progress," the fatality rates are sobering.