Progress?

This new report seems to think so. But how significant are these benchmarks? Is the government strong enough and powerful enough to control at least part of the country within the next few years?

The report, released this morning, said the Iraqi government had shown satisfactory performance so far on 8 of the 18 benchmarks, including modernizing its military forces. But more work was needed on eight others, it said, including preparations for local elections. And in two areas, it was not yet possible to judge how things are going.

Or not...depending on how you look at it..

“Today’s report from the President confirms what many had suspected: the war in Iraq is headed in a dangerous direction,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader. “The Iraqi government has not met the key political benchmarks it has set for itself, and Iraqi security forces continue to lag well behind expectations.”