KATIE COURIC REPORTS ">progress in Iraq. Tom Smith comments. And Petraeus is talking about a troop reduction by March, though he’s been saying that for a while. Still, this has got to be depressing for those who were hoping for bad news.

UPDATE: Didn’t I criticize Warner for recommending what Petraeus is doing? Yes, because we already knew that. Here’s what I said: “Petraeus has talked about a troop pulldown already too. This looks like Warner trying to take credit for something that will probably happen anyway. In other words, Washington as usual.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Advisers tell Bush to stand pat on Iraq. Not that there’s much doubt that he’ll do that. I’m finding it hard to get as excited as I should about this, as I think Bush can run out the clock on Congress and keep the Petraeus plan going through the end of his term anyway. And the next President, Democrat or Republican, will do what looks right in January of 2009, not what he or she is saying now. (That’s why I kind of like Bill Richardson even though I think his current stance on the war is very poor). By January of 2009, I expect that things in Iraq will look very different. If they don’t, then the new President will do something very different.

MORE: Heh.