Undeniable Progess in Iraq

I like classical music in the mornings, so I tune in to WFMT. It's reliably soothing, except for the predictable liberal Dem drumbeat of NPR on the hour--casualties in Iraq. (maybe I should just download more classical iTunes.)

To liberals, though, bad news in Iraq is soothing, pablum for the self-pampered set (still infantile and toothless). But even the NY Times has noticed the shift in Iraq, less they squander what little journalistic integrity they have left. (I imagine NPR will move on to something else, rather than actually report the news.)

The civilian death toll in Iraq fell to its lowest level in recent memory Saturday. AP:

Saturday's decline in deaths was in line with a sharp drop in September of both Iraqi civilian and U.S. military fatalities.

The NY Times notes the Shia Awakening--in Baghdad, one of the most intractable areas of the country until now. Via Powerline:

In a number of Shiite neighborhoods across Baghdad, residents are beginning to turn away from the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia they once saw as their only protector against Sunni militants. Now they resent it as a band of street thugs without ideology.

The hardening Shiite feeling in Baghdad opens an opportunity for the American military, which has long struggled against the Mahdi Army, as American commanders rely increasingly on tribes and local leaders in their prosecution of the war.

The moderate Shiites have been enabled by our security to join the government and find jobs.

So military progress goes hand in glove with political progress.

Our military has begin ensuring key business development and job training zones, slow and steady progress to help Iraqis rebuild Iraq and provide a future for themselves and their families. This is one in the old Sunni triangle, the heart of Saddam Hussein's support:

In the first month after the contracting office opened in June, the Iraqi contracts in the province jumped by more than 20 percent and nearly $4 million. Villagers watched two Iraqi-owned plants go up in a semi-secure area in less than two months, grabbing several enormous contracts that typically would have gone to better-positioned Turkish firms. And 35 residents from four small villages received apprenticeships for on-the-job training as carpenters, plumbers and electricians, jobs that provide lunch and a decent salary by Iraqi standards.

Now, when we tell them to expect an additional 85 jobs this winter when we expand the IBIZ skills training program to include welders, small-engine mechanics and air conditioner repairmen, Iraqis are more likely to believe us, even though it might be a different "us" after my unit rotates out of theater.

And the Washington Post:

During the first 12 days of October the death rates of Iraqis and Americans fell still further. So far during the Muslim month of Ramadan, which began Sept. 13 and ends this weekend, 36 U.S. soldiers have been reported as killed in hostile actions. That is remarkable given that the surge has deployed more American troops in more dangerous places and that in the past al-Qaeda has staged major offensives during Ramadan. Last year, at least 97 American troops died in combat during Ramadan. Al-Qaeda tried to step up attacks this year, U.S. commanders say -- so far, with stunningly little success.

There is undeniable progress in Iraq.