May was the costliest month in Iraq for U.S. forces since November 2004, and the last six-month period has seen more casualties than any other "Friedman" since the invasion was launched in 2003.

Tragically, June isn't looking any better.

Fourteen American soldiers were killed in three deadly days in Iraq, the U.S. military said Sunday, including four in a single roadside bombing and one who was struck by a suicide bomber while on a foot patrol southwest of the capital.

The blast that killed the four soldiers occurred Sunday as the troops were conducting a cordon and search operation northwest of the Iraqi capital, according to a statement. Two other soldiers from Multi-National Division — Baghdad were killed and five were wounded along with an Iraqi interpreter in two separate roadside bombings on Sunday, the military said.

What's more, the Washington Post reported today, "As U.S. troops push more deeply into Baghdad and its volatile outskirts, Iraqi insurgents are using increasingly sophisticated and lethal means of attack, including bigger roadside bombs that are resulting in greater numbers of American fatalities relative to the number of wounded."

Sullivan explained, "My low-point in letting hope get the better of the evidence in the Bush era was my airing of the 'flytrap' theory a few years back. The theory posited that chaos in Iraq might give the U.S. a chance to target and kill Jihadist terrorists in the Middle East more efficiently than constantly playing defense. Four years later, and it's clear the reverse is happening. Chaos in Iraq and our presence there is honing Jihadist skills, weaponry and tactics."