THIS SEEMS LIKE GOOD IRAQ NEWS: “The top U.S. general there is expected by Bush administration officials to recommend removing American troops soon from several areas where commanders believe security has improved, possibly including Al Anbar province.”

Hmm. Maybe T.M. Lutas was right when he predicted this last April.

Capt. Ed has more thoughts: “Will Congress buy it? Many are heavily invested in withdrawal, and they will likely argue that pullbacks should result in reductions, not redeployments. It’s hard to argue with success, however, and that will be the effect of Petraeus’ report.” And Jules Crittenden has a prediction of his own: “Watch for withdrawal enthusiasts to denounce any partial drawdown on grounds that Iraqi forces aren’t ready, and then go on to proclaim the cause hopeless, and demand total abandonment.” Plus, a recommendation for Congress!

UPDATE: Harry Reid acknowledges the success of the surge. Much more information at the link.

Plus there’sthis: Al Qaeda in Iraq Has Lost 75% of Civilian Leadership. Good riddance.

MORE: Lindsey Graham, armed and dangerous.

STILL MORE: Jay Reding: “Petraeus is looking at the long game now, concerning himself with how we beat al-Qaeda and secure Iraq in the next few months. The big variable is the quality of the Iraqi troops — if they can fight off al-Qaeda, that means that we’re close to the point where we can make a responsible exit from Iraq. If they can’t, we’ll need to continue the surge throughout 2008 and start planning for how best to reduce the strain on our armed forces.”