IS THE SURGE...

IS THE SURGE WORKING? The GAO doesn't think so:

The draft provides a stark assessment of the tactical effects of the current U.S.-led counteroffensive to secure Baghdad. "While the Baghdad security plan was intended to reduce sectarian violence, U.S. agencies differ on whether such violence has been reduced," it states. While there have been fewer attacks against U.S. forces, it notes, the number of attacks against Iraqi civilians remains unchanged. It also finds that "the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved.""Overall," the report concludes, "key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds," as promised.

But what's most remarkable about the GAO's pessimistic document isn't its conclusions, but its existence. The article explains that "the person who provided the draft report to The Post said it was being conveyed from a government official who feared that its pessimistic conclusions would be watered down in the final version -- as some officials have said happened with security judgments in this month's National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq."In other words, agencies of the American government are now leaking draft reports to the press in order to preempt the administration from changing their conclusions. Nice country we got here, eh?--Ezra Klein