Political accord agreed to in Iraq

This is going to have the Left in Congress howling. It looks like some political headway is being made which shows that already my prediction is starting to come to fruition:

The Iraqi prime minister and president announced a new alliance of moderate Shiites and Kurds in a push to save the crumbing government Thursday, saying a key Sunni bloc refused to join but the door remained open to them. ...

... The political agreement reached by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was the first step to unblock political stagnation that has gripped his Shiite-led government since it first took power in May 2006. But the announcement after three days of intense negotiations was disappointing because it did not include Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and his moderate Iraqi Islamic Party. ...

... At the news conference announcing the political accord, President Jalal Talabani and al-Maliki were flanked by the leader of the northern autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, and Shiite Vice President Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

The four men signed a three-page agreement they said ensures them a majority in the 275-member parliament that would allow action on legislation demanded by the U.S.

Talabani, a Kurd, said al-Hashemi refused the invitation to join in the new political grouping but "the door is still open to them and they are welcome at any time."

Al-Maliki also called on the Sunni Accordance Front, which includes al-Hashemi's party, to return to the government and heal a rift that opened when the bloc's five Cabinet ministers quit the government. ...

Now if you read the whole piece, there are bits and pieces about the bombing that occurred on Tuesday. I'm not saying things are coffee and funnel cakes over there. Yes, violence is still ongoing. But Petreus is quoted at the end of the piece, and he reminds people that they knew the Sunni insurgents/al Qaeda would try attacks this "spectacular." But it doesn't change the fact that there are political successes being made. And I still maintain the prediction I made.

When General Petreus returns, he will have military and political accomplishments under his belt. The surge is working, but it won't be complete by the time he arrives for his progress report. I'd say he's still going to need the bulk of the surge troops until April or May of next year. There are reports that he'll recommend a partial draw down of troops, which I think is a bit premature. He should have the full compliment there through the end of this year before withdrawing any. He should announce that he'll return in January with another report, and one more in March or April.

Look, we don't want our troops over there any longer than they have to be, but we also don't want to go back in five or ten years down the road because of instability. This takes time, and people -- especially the blowhard monkeys in Congress -- need to give the general and the troops the time they need.

Publius II