Violent, yes; civil war-scale violence, no

The number of civilians killed in Iraq in October was 3,709: "that translates to a rate of 171 per 100,000", according to Powerline's John Hinderaker. 

A consensus seems to have developed that Iraq is a disaster because of out-of-control sectarian violence. That consensus is driving proposals to change our policy in Iraq, perhaps in the direction of a pull-out that could lead to truly cataclysmic violence. So I think it makes sense to step back and get a more realistic picture of the level of what is happening in Iraq: violent? Yes. A disaster comparable to a civil war? No.

I hope Messrs Baker and Gates are paying attention.