TIGERHAWK: “Even the New York Times, which has done its level best to promote the myth of Iraqi incompetence, acknowledges that the government has won the battle of Basra.”

UPDATE: Related thoughts from T.M. Lutas: “This is progress. This is good. This is going to be recognized by the mainstream media (on their own schedule) sometime between November and January or, if McCain’s smart, he’ll force them to recognize it in the summer so by the fall, Iraq will be a net benefit for Republicans, not a drag.”