even more on the "last throes"

Pentagon: Insurgency FIVE Times Larger Today Than 18 Months Ago

But in a related story on Iraq and the grilling of Rumsfeld, ABC News made an astute point. In trying to downplay the insurgency, the Pentagon estimated it was about 25,000 strong. Oops! In November, 2003, the Pentagon said the insurgency was about 5,000 strong. Some "last throes."