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The democrats decide the war is lost and the surge isn't working, but Stratewgy page has a more nuanced and hopeful analysis, and usually gets things right on the Philippines and Africa, where I have actual on the ground experience...

Here's an excerpt:
There are fewer bombs going off in Baghdad, so the bombers are trying to make each one count more. Thus, in the last week, three truck bombs took out bridges and overpasses, seeking to make life miserable for an many Iraqis as possible. This is because, despite all the dismal news from Iraq, what doesn't get reported is that most of the country is quiet, and there has been 4-5 percent growth in the overall economy for the past four years. Actually, there was a huge jump in economic growth, about 40 percent, in the year after Saddam fell. That has now settled down. Anyone who has been to Iraq, particularly American soldiers, can't help but notice the traffic jams, shops full of goods, and all those Iraqis walking around with their new cell phones. Yes, it's a war zone, but it's also a growing economy.



The Terrorists are also trying to get through to Shia religious shrines, as part of the al Qaeda strategy to enrage the Shia enough to cause a civil war in Iraq. To that end, a second successful attack was made on the Shia Golden Mosque was made, bringing down the two minarets (which are a distance from the golden dome of the mosque itself.) This has enraged Shia, but that is not making much difference. The Iraqi army and police are mostly Shia, with a Kurdish minority. The Shia security forces regularly terrorize Sunni Arab civilians, and encourage them to leave mixed (with Shia or Kurds) neighborhoods, and either leave the country, or move back to wholly Sunni Arab areas, like the Baghdad suburbs, or western Iraq. Iraqis Sunni Arab neighbors have already told the terrorists, publicly and privately, that they will not come to their aid. At least not as long as the Americans are their. The Arabs can count, and note that for each American soldier killed, at least ten of the attackers die.