Iraq today

I have to say, things in Iraq have turned out better than I have expected. It's been a year and four months since I shifted my position on Iraq. While I opposed the war from before it began, once we were there, I felt that we had a moral responsibility to clean up our mess.

But in March of 2007, I felt that we had done all we could, and that it was up to the Iraqis to put the pieces back together.

I'm surprised, but happily so, that that is finally happening. If the surge is partly responsible, hooray! But my original sense is unchanged: only an Iraqi reconciliation can bring lasting peace to the country.

It's time to plan our departure.

Here's a good piece from the Associated Press summing up the current state of affairs in Iraq.