I like to view the world quantitatively. A journalist can find anecdotal evidence to support almost any theory or trend, but percentages and hard data provide a more objective view of the big picture (yes, statistics are impersonal, can be manipulated, and are often misinterpreted by journalists, but that's another debate altogether).

That said, here is a quantitative look at what happened in Iraq this July (I may begin doing this monthly, so check back at the beginning of September for updates):

- 78 U.S. troops killed. First the somewhat good news—the number of U.S. troops killed was at an eight-month low in July. I say this is "somewhat" good news because, although it's a short-term improvement, only 43 soldiers were killed in July 2006. And casualty rates are supposed to go down in July because of the 120 degree heat.
- 603 U.S. troops wounded. Bringing the total to around 27,000 since the war began.
- 1,653 Iraqi civilians killed. The number of civilians killed rose almost one-third from the previous month. However, 3,438 civilians were killed in July 2006.
- 214 Iraqi military/police killed. Up from the previous two months.
- 190,000 missing weapons. According to a GAO report, the military "cannot fully account for about 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles, 80,000 pistols, 135,000 items of body armour and 115,000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces."
- $12 billion monthly spending in 2007. And spending on the war may surpass $1 trillion before it's over.
- 1-2 hours of electricity. Although the State Department stopped reporting on how long the power stays on, latest reports suggest Baghdad residents only get one or two hours per day. This is regarded as one of the most important quality of life indicators related to the reconstruction.