It’s been the regular refrain that we hear from the Administration, pro-war Democrats and the talking heads in the press: just wait, the occupation of Iraq is turning the corner, just give it six more months, don’t worry…

Yesterday, the United Nations released a report that concluded, according to The New York Times’ article:

An average of more than 100 civilians per day were killed in Iraq last month, the United Nations reported Tuesday, registering what appears to be the highest official monthly tally of violent deaths since the fall of Baghdad.

And that isn’t just a one-month blip:

United Nations officials said Tuesday that the number of violent deaths had climbed steadily since at least last summer. During the first six months of this year, the civilian death toll jumped more than 77 percent, from 1,778 in January to 3,149 in June, the organization said.

Enough already. The death toll will continue to rise as long as the U.S. remains in Iraq. The only hope for the country to pull its shattered self together–and it will not be easy–will come when the occupation ends.