Phenominal progress!

As things continue to go remarkably well in Iraq since the start of the glorious surge, astonishing signs of normalcy are taking place, turning the country into something reminiscent of an Indiana market...

An American financial analyst working for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has died of his wounds from an Easter Day rocket attack against the heavily fortified Green Zone, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Paul Converse, 56, was hit when rockets fired by suspected Shiite militia fighters rained down on the U.S.-protected area in central Baghdad Sunday.

At least 55 people have died so far in three days of fighting between al-Sadr's Shiite militias and U.S.-Iraqi forces in Baghdad and Basra, officials said Wednesday, and a third day of mortar fire into the Green Zone has left 3 Americans seriously injured. Other than that, we've scored a major strategic victo... wait, what??

"The cease-fire is over; we have been told to fight the Americans," said one Mahdi Army militiaman.