NEW YORK TIMES: U.S. Hands Back a Quieter Anbar. Plus, some further thoughts from J.D. Johannes. Remember that just a couple of years ago — heck even a year ago — most people seemed to think that a Vietnam-like debacle in Iraq was inevitable. And it would have been, had we given up instead of pursuing the Surge. The hurricane story is getting all the attention, but this is the big news.

UPDATE: Prof. John Wixted compares August 2008 with August 2007 and adds: “Good news or bad news, I’ve been bringing you the casualty-in-Iraq story every month for years now (it’s amazing how time flies). Back when the news was bad, liberals loved that topic. But they don’t love it anymore. Now that the news is good, conservatives are more interested in casualty data than they ever were before. I guess that makes sense, but I’d like to just toot my horn ever so slightly by pointing out that I have been steadily analyzing the casualty picture — and learning a great deal from it — through thick and thin.”