Belated Reaction?

"Officials said privately that they hoped to foster a sense of normalcy and encourage limited travel to Iraq, particularly by business people and aid workers. They mentioned that Baghdad International Airport is preparing to reopen in a few days.

"Wait, wait, wait. That was 2003.

"No, here's how nice things are in Iraq.

"Ammar Hussein finally felt it was safe enough to keep his pizza shop open until midnight. Life was returning to normal in Iraq's capital. Most nights, families crowded around plastic tables outside his shop to eat pizza and ice cream.

"Darn it, that was 2004. This must be the right article.

"The amazing realisation is that somehow normal life continues. Shops open, people go to work. Even the Crazy Frog mobile phone ring tone has become the latest fad in Baghdad.

"Sorry again, 2005 . . .

"Don't misunderstand. I very much hope that this period does represent a real, sustained move toward normalcy in Iraq . . . But there have been a number of 'lulls' in violence, and what we're now looking at as the 'lowest number of attacks since February 2006' only means that 'normal' has been redefined as worse than anything in 2005, or 2004, or 2003."

And one ex-Marine isn't buying the notion of progress:

"House Democrats' point man in the war-funding showdown with the White House Tuesday dismissed U.S. military gains in Iraq and vowed to tighten the purse strings until President Bush accepts a pullout plan," the Washington Times reports. 'Look at all the people that have been displaced, all the [lost] oil production, unemployment, all those type of things,' said Rep. John P. Murtha, chairman of House Appropriations defense subcommittee. 'We can't win militarily.' "

Did Scott McClellan throw Bush under the bus?

"In an excerpt from his forthcoming book, McClellan recounts the 2003 news conference in which he told reporters that aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby were 'not involved' in the leak involving operative Valerie Plame.