Obsidian Wings has a must-read round-up of reports from people who are actually there, or who recently returned. The South is Shiite mafia-central, Anbar is improving, the Shiite areas in Baghdad are calmer but the ethnic cleansing continues. Read the whole complex thing. Money quote from Bing West:
What, then, is the biggest problem? How the Americans can infuse into the Iraqi army and police in Baghdad a sense of mission and even-handedness such that the Americans can withdraw from neighborhoods in eight to twelve months without backsliding.
Existing American military tactics and techniques are adequate to staunch the ethnic cleansing; to transfer those conops or to design substitute techniques that the Iraqi army and police can use – and to meld the army and police into a unity of effort – is a far more problematic task. On the other hand, I’ve seen enough examples of tough Iraqi leadership at the battalion and police chief level to believe that some leadership is emerging. Right now, though, the glue is the presence of the American troops. They have to be out on the streets first, then the Iraqi forces fall in behind them.
The places in Baghdad where I saw clean streets, open shops, and guards on every corner were the Shiite areas. It’s too early to tell whether we’re dealing with a rope-a-dope feint by the Shiite politicians. It is in their short-term interests for them to help us purge bad elements, and restore order and services. But whether they believe a compromise with the Sunnis is possible or necessary – who knows?
The evidence that is slowly accumulating makes me tentatively believe that the "surge" has not failed so obviously that it should be abandoned any time soon. I will neer give Bush or Cheney the benefit of ay doubt in the future. They have lied too often. But Petraeus? He gets the benefit of the doubt. One important, under-reported fact:
26 of 31 sheiks have turned their backs on al Qaeda and are putting together their own security forces.
This is good news.
The Dish 