The Scrutinator

National Journal takes a close look at the Lancet's Iraqi casualty study. The study asserts that from the start of the 2003 war to its conclusion in mid-2006, an estimated 654,965 Iraqis were killed. The study's results met little skepticism in the media and were embraced by folks like Ted Kennedy and Islamist groups.

The closer they look, the fishier it gets. Not only is its methodology flawed (following "a model that ensured that even minor components of the data, when extrapolated over the whole population, would yield huge differences in the death toll"), but the data itself is likely bogus, and the authors won't release it. Not to mention it was financed by the political left.

The Lancet, founded in 1823, is one of the world's most-cited medical journals, ... In recent years, however, the journal's reputation has suffered from charges of politicization and a few prominent instances of scientific fraud.

It's a long article, but worth the read if you're interested.

Via Instapundit

More, 1/12: Soros funded nearly half the study.

By The Scrutinator @ 7:15 AM