No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

This is how we are losing in Iraq

The media are presenting some numbers that can explain how badly Iraq is being managed.
The Dark at the End of the Tunnel: Unsustainable Casualty Rate in Iraq.

While I don't guarantee the validity of the analysis, the historical references are accurate and I don't see anything wrong with it.

I would guess the real question is whether the numbers change after the elections scheduled for the end of January. The only reason that I can see for such a change is that the current attacks are a major push and the resources (human and military) that the insurgents have will run out.

I have no evidence that the resources available to the insurgents are even in doubt. My bet is that they are not.