Oh, by the way, our Iraqi allies WON in Basra

Remember the catcalls, hand-wringing, and general discontent after Iraqi forces began their effort to take Basra from al-Sadr and his Iranian-backed thugs?  If you don’t, Michael Goldfarb at the Weekly Standard blog has some reminders.

Well, don’t look now, but the New York Times - of all papers! – is admitting that the Iraqi military has carried the day in Basra:

Three hundred miles south of Baghdad, the oil-saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own surge, now seven weeks old.

In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city, to the initial surprise and growing delight of many inhabitants who only a month ago shuddered under deadly clashes between Iraqi troops and Shiite militias.

It appears the reports of the Iraqi defeat (and all the requisite snobbish cynicism or “realist” doves) was premature, at best.

Cross-posted to the Shotgun