You can add USA Today to the list of main stream media that has begrudgingly acknowledged that President Bush's surge strategy in Iraq is working. Not only is it working, but it's continuing to work.

USA Today further acknowledges what most rational Americans have known for some time. That Congressional Democrats are living in perpetual denial about the war in Iraq. Harry Reid is like a parrot that just keeps squawking, "The Surge isn't working!," even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, seem lost in a time warp. They could try to impose new benchmarks that acknowledge the military progress. Instead, too many seem unable or unwilling to admit that President Bush's surge of 30,000 more troops has succeeded beyond their initial predictions. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who in the spring declared the war lost, said last week that "the surge hasn't accomplished its goals." Anti-war Democrats remain fixated on tying war funding to a rapid troop withdrawal. Yet pulling the troops out precipitously threatens to squander the progress of recent months toward salvaging a decent outcome to the Iraq debacle.

Even John Murtha one of the most despicable members of Congress finally acknowledged that the surge is working. Much to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi's chagrin, the war is in fact not lost and we're finally making progress.

Yet "dumb and dumber" still keep trying to undermine the war effort by dragging their feet on funding, or putting time tables for withdrawal. Democrats for years complained that President Bush was being stubborn and needed to "change course" in Iraq.

They were right about that initially, and all the criticism was justified. So finally, the President fired Rummy and brought in Bob Gates. After that he brought in General Petraeus to implement his counter-insurgency strategy along with an infusion of 30,000 troops to Baghdad.

So while a little late to the game, President Bush did "change course" in Iraq and we're finally getting a handle on things. It's time now for Democrats to do a little self-reflection and take their own advice about not being stubborn and refusing to change course.

Democrats should realize that acknowledging progress in Iraq, doesn't mean they can't still hate the President with every fiber of their being as they so clearly do.

There is no doubt that Iraq remains a deadly place, and the Iraqi government is not acting like much of a government. To be fair, it was almost impossible for the government to really function with violence of almost biblical proportions taking place in the capital.

With violence finally subsiding to a large extent, we're gonna have to give the Iraqi government more time to get on it's feet. I don't know how much time, but I suspect as long as it takes.

-Chris Jones
The Hot Joints