The headline this morning:

U.S. Cites Gaps in Planning of Iraqi Assault on Basra

Which is odd, because having read the story, if I were the headline writer I would have gone with:

US no longer Occupies Iraq

Essentially the story is about Maliki’s foray into Basra. How he planned it, who he didn’t tell, what surprises he encounters. (It doesn’t bother mentioning that Sadr waved the white flag in the end.)

According to one American official, General Petraeus conveyed the message that while the decision was in the hands of the Iraqi government, “we made a lot of gains in the past six to nine months that you’ll be putting at risk.”

In other words, “it’s your country dudes, treat it well.” And congratulations Iraqis!