The very long piece in Der Spiegel about our effort in Iraq is startling only because of its candor. They paint what seems to me to be a realistic picture of the war. What I take away from the superb piece is that the Democrats are about to eat their lunch because the most pacifistic and anti-US country in Europe is being told a vastly different story than the one that has had currency over the past four years, particularly among left Democrats. In short: the surge is working amazingly well in a lot of places and not so good in a few others. Our soldiers are kicking the shit out of the terrorists and the Iraqi people are not only helping but fighting like disciplined troops. The article lays it out there about what will happen if the Democrats take us down the road to defeat. Terrific read.