Good news from Mesopotamia

I can't believe my eyes!

Today's New York Times has an op ed about Iraq entitled, "A War We Just Might Win." The coauthors, from the liberal-minded Brookings Institution, have recently returned from 8 days of meetings in Iraq with American and Iraqi civilian and military personnel.

This is what they have to say about the initial impact of "the surge" masterminded by Gen. David Petraeus:

Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.

And this:

Everywhere, Army and Marine units were focused on securing the Iraqi population, working with Iraqi security units, creating new political and economic arrangements at the local level and providing basic services — electricity, fuel, clean water and sanitation — to the people. Yet in each place, operations had been appropriately tailored to the specific needs of the community. As a result, civilian fatality rates are down roughly a third since the surge began — though they remain very high, underscoring how much more still needs to be done.

Thank you, New York Times, for having the guts to print that. Now if only all those other Americans with a festering hatred for George Bush would wake up and see what our magnificent military is beginning to accomplish "over there." If we bring stability to Iraq, the jihadists are doomed to failure and our children just might live in a safer world. Our soldiers are certainly up to and meeting the challenge. The question is, are we?