A WEBSITE CALLED TBRNews.org, written by one Brian Harring, who calls himself a "domestic intelligence reporter," has published a potential bombshell -- although it's far from clear at this point that what he alleges is true.

Harring claims that the true U.S. death toll in Iraq is around 7,000, rather than the 1,700-plus reported by the Pentagon. According to Harring, the Bush administration has deliberately undercounted the American casualties by only including in the official death lists those soldiers who died in Iraq, and leaving off the soldiers who died in German hospitals or on the way to German hospitals.

Even given all the lies and deceit that have come out of the Bush administration, I have trouble believing this is true. I certainly hope it's not true. If it is, though, it will come out -- just like the false enemy body counts in Vietnam days came out. Governments always think they can hide things like this, but they never can -- at least, not indefinitely.

Via Jim Lampley at The Huffington Report, with a hat tip to Echidne.

UPDATE: Steve M. at Daily Kos posted a comment at Echidne's blog saying the following:

We analyzed this in some depths at dkos last month. The consensus was that the theory is total bullshit.

Check out my comment at http://www.dailykos.com/comments...832/501/ 198#198 and the diary to which it is attached.

Thank God.