Today, the 5th anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, is the second and final day of the testimony to Congress by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker regarding progress in Iraq.  Yesterday's testimony to several Senate panels yielded several key points:

• General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker both referred to progress in Iraq as "fragile and reversible."  While substantial and quantifiable steps have been made in the last year toward a peaceful Iraq, the outcome is not yet set in stone.  Recent violence in the Basra region and threats by Al Sadr reinforce the need for the U.S. to remain a force for security in the nation until the gains can be solidified.
• We ARE fighting al Qaeda in Iraq.  General Petraeus sounded upbeat about the weakening of the terrorist network in the middle east, but the organization has not yet been totally defeated.
• Regardless of the clear signs of progress, anti-war Democrats in Congress refuse to acknowledge these gains.

While the cost of progress in Iraq has been high, the cost of defeat would be much higher.  General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, the two men most familiar with the situation, but made it clear that they believe victory is possible, but only if we have the will to achieve it.