Project for Excellence in Journalism: “Through the first 10 months of the year, the portrait of Iraq that Americans have received from the news media has in considerable measure been a grim one. Roughly half of the reporting has consisted of accounts of daily violence. And stories that explicitly assessed the direction of the war have tended toward pessimism, according to a new study of press coverage of events on the ground in Iraq from January through October of 2007.”

• Center for Strategic and International Studies, Progress in Iraq: The December Report on Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq by Anthony H. Cordesman – “…A strategic partnership requires both sides to be partners. So far, Iraq’s leaders have not been able to move forward on their side at the rate required, and victories against AQI are not “victory.” Only real progress in all of the five areas outlined earlier – especially political accommodation – can justify a continued US presence and sacrifices. Any major waves of sectarian or ethnic violence, or the rise of new threats against US forces, could make that effort untenable.”