In addition, the following report had to be devastating as well:

Boston Herald,
Top U.S. general cheered by ‘sea change’ in parts of Iraq

RAMADI, Iraq - The top U.S. general, now touring Iraq, said yesterday that parts of Iraq are undergoing a "sea change” in improved security.
...
"What I’m hearing right now is a sea change that’s taken place in many places here, that it’s no longer a matter of pushing al-Qaeda out of Ramadi, for example, but rather, now that they have been pushed out, helping the local police and local army have a chance to get their feet on the ground,” he said.

Related:

Reid's message to our troops...
Photo: aloha.suckers!!.

Market Watch,
Senate blocks Iraq troop-withdrawal measure

Following a rare, all-night session, Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked further consideration of an amendment that would have required President Bush to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq within 120 days.

The Senate voted 52-47 to end debate on the amendment to the defense authorization bill, falling short of the 60-vote supermajority needed to clear the way for a vote on final passage. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., switched his vote to "no" before the final gavel, a parliamentary move that would allow him to bring the measure back to the floor at a later date.

Democrats said the measure, sponsored by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., would require the administration to bow to public dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, while allowing the military to rebuild.

Find these tags in Planck's Constant Posts: al qaeda, defense authorization bill, harry reid, improved security, ramadi iraq, sea change, senate debate, senate republicans