Better Than Expected Progress

See? The surge IS working!

ABC News reports: "An eagerly awaited White House report on Iraq will be released tomorrow, which will claim that the Iraqi government has made satisfactory progress on eight of the 18 benchmarks set by Congress."

John McCain said in a briefing: "We adopted a new strategy, and this strategy is succeeding and should be given a chance to succeed."

The positives are mainly around the progress of Iraqi security forces; the negatives are mainly around the political progress. There are two benchmarks that are 'mixed'.

The most remarkable changes are in Anbar province, which has seen a dramatic drop in violence. Just a year ago, it was considered the most dangerous place in Iraq.

So, just more proof that the surge is working despite the fact that it's only been at full force for a couple of weeks. Petraeus' strategy is having a noticeable effect, and he just needs a little more time. We need to pressure our representatives to give him that time, and give our troops and our mission the best possible chance at success.

There's my two cents.