Judy Miller redux

Michael Gordon does it again for the NY Times:

The most comprehensive and up-to-date military statistics show that American forces have made some headway toward a crucial goal of protecting the Iraqi population. Data on car bombs, suicide attacks, civilian casualties and other measures of the bloodshed in Iraq indicate that violence has been on the decline, though the levels generally remain higher than in 2004 and 2005.

But the data, which was gathered by American military officials in Baghdad and which include the most recent figures for August, raise a series of important questions. Can the drop be sustained over the coming months, especially with the approach of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month in which violence has often increased?

Yesterday, we learned that all the numbers are completely trumped up. Shots to the head from the front don't count. Car bombings don't count. It doesn't count if you are hit in the left ear. Blue eyed people don't die. etc., etc. Yet, here's Michael Gordon accepting the military's numbers without question.