it is victory in America!...

...or something. Never mind that the Iraqi political process is creaking to a halt. Never mind that Awakening Councils are not going to be happy that al-Maliki's government has assumed control of Anbar. Gen. Petraeus is worried about the continued existence of al-Qaeda there.

• Al Qaeda remains a dangerous force in Iraq despite a general decline in violence and U.S. troops must continue to confront the militant group, the outgoing top U.S. general in the country said. General David Petraeus told al Arabiya television he believed recent success in reducing violence had restored the United States' image with Iraqis. Troops initially greeted as liberators but later viewed as occupiers were now again accepted as friends. In the interview recorded on Monday and scheduled for broadcast later on Friday, Petraeus was asked whether al Qaeda had been defeated in Iraq. "You will not find any military leader who will say this ... all we can say is al Qaeda is still dangerous," he said. Petraeus' comments were translated into English from an Arabic transcript of the interview sent to Reuters. "It is certain more of these crimes will be committed, and we must continue working to confront these attacks," he said.(from Democracy Arsenal, originally story, from "Qaeda undefeated in Iraq, work to be done -Petraeus," 05 Sep 2008,
  Reuters, By Mohammed Abbas and Waleed Ibrahim)