Byline: JOAN VENNOCHI SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

The real news of April played second fiddle to the presidential campaign, the pope's visit to America and the Texas polygamy case.

The death toll for the U.S. military in Iraq hit 49 in April, making it the deadliest month since September, according to The Associated Press. Around Iraq, at least 1,080 Iraqi civilians and security personnel were killed last month, an average of 36 a day, according to the AP tally. While that's down from March's total of 1,269, or an average of 41 per day, those casualties certainly don't add up to a stable Iraq.

But Iraq isn't getting the prominent play of other news topics. The latest ...