the Surge is succeeding

It looks like the much maligned surge of troop forces in Iraq is meeting with a lot of success. Check out this piece on the American Thinker web site. A pretty key quote as to why the Iraqis are rejecting Al Queda is the following:

"The Jihadis broke (and more than likely never knew) the cardinal rule of insurgency warfare, that of being a good guest. As Mao put it, "The revolutionary must be as a fish among the water of the peasantry." The Jihadis have been lampreys to the Iraqi people. Proselytizing, forcing adaptation of their reactionary creed, engaging in torture, kidnapping, and looting. Arabic culture is one in which open dealings, personal loyalty, and honor are at a premium. Violate any of them, and there is no way back. The Jihadis violated them all. The towns and cities of Iraq are no longer sanctuaries."