A Letter From General Petraeus

General David Petraeus has written a letter to the troops serving in Iraq:

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq:

We are now over two-and-a-half months into the surge of offensive operations made possible by the surge of forces, and I want to share with you my view of how I think we're doing. This letter is a bit longer than previous ones, since I feel you deserve a detailed description of what I believe we have and have not - accomplished, as Ambassador Crocker and I finalize the assessment we will provide shortly to Congress.

Up front my sense is that we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq. The result has been progress in the security arena although it has, as you know, been uneven. Additionally, as you all appreciate very well, innumerable tasks remain and much hard work lies ahead. We are, in short a long way from the goal line, but we do have the ball and we are driving down the field.

That momentum is important. Please read the whole thing. It really is not all that long, but I think General Petraeus is giving a clear assessment, warts and all, of where things stand.