The surge in Iraq has touched public perception in a positive way

In the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, taken Friday through Sunday, the proportion of those who said the additional troops are “making the situation better” rose to 31% from 22% a month ago. Those who said it was “not making much difference” dropped to 41% from 51%.

About the same number said it was making things worse: 24% now, 25% a month ago.

Of course, no good leader relies on polls to govern decision making, but the truth is that the stepped up American military presence, along with some ingenuous local diplomacy in places like Ramadi, have made a stabilizing difference on the ground. Add to this the lack of viable Democrat alternatives in the region, and this is the result one gets.

The challenge though is to parlay this concrete security success into Iraqi political achievement, which has been nothing but a completely frustrating endeavor.

The American public desires to be out of Iraq because it has been a mess. In all measurable ways, nothing has gone as we would have hoped. Largely this came out of an inherent American belief that democracy is desired by all, and allowing it to take root in the absence of a totalitarian dictator wouldn’t be all that difficult. We were wrong.

However, the only Americans seemingly consumed with defeat are hard core leftists (see that nonmoving last number in the quoted paragraph above). Most would be willing to stick it out if progress was being made. The surge is progress. Let’s turn it into something more permanent.