>>Suppose this is all made up speculation?
I am not sure what you are wondering might be speculation? The NYT poll was pretty clear. Progress on the ground in Iraq? There do seem to have been indications from several sources that the progress is real. I guess we have to await Petraeus’s report for an overall assessment.
The main point of the article, though, is not to say that there has been progress, but to say that Democrats interpret progress as a bad thing.
Progress can’t be gauged by how many men we send to patrol Iraq.
Progress is when the Iraqi government is able to effectively govern and handle their foremost responsibility-—their own internal security.
Why are we making excuses for them? How long do we have to assume their burdens and when might we expect to see Iraqis taking charge of their own destiny, future and security? Clearly, this hasn’t been acheived yet despite the thousands of lives we have sacrificed and the billions in dollars we have spent.
We need to put more pressure on the Iraqis and we need to stop coddling/babysitting them. For the Iraqi legislature to go on vacation while our guys are being killed and maimed stinks like hell.