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I've mentioned Michael Yon many times in my posts. I consider him the single best independent source of information on military affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a former Special Forces operative turned independent journalist, and he has the respect of, and access to, our military forces from the foot soldiers to the commanding generals. When Michael Yon speaks, I listen carefully – especially when he is giving his considered opinion.

This morning I received an email from Michael Yon (not because I'm special, but simply because I'm on his mailing list). I've received many such emails, usually simply telling me that he has posted a new dispatch. This one was different, and I reproduce it below in its entirety.

Greetings:

Successes are occurring, and accruing, in Iraq. Al Qaeda is still a powerful enemy, but they cannot be happy with their Iraqi franchise this summer.

Readers of my dispatches have gotten first hand reports of the kinds of positive indicators that General David Petraeus described in his progress report.

The atmosphere is changing in Iraq and I've been posting dispatches and videos that illustrate just how profound this change is in some cases.

I was the first to say Iraq was in civil war, and many readers were angry to hear me say it. Well, I'll be the first to say that I predict some sort of milestone for the war in Iraq will occur early in the next year. It's dangerous to predict like this, but something fundamental has changed in Iraq.

There is one important qualifier: this will only happen if General David Petraeus is supported by our elected officials to implement his proposed plan, without meddling from those same elected officials. Oversight and accountability are not the same thing as backseat driving after siphoning out half of the gas tank.

Please read: Hunting Al Qaeda

v/r
Michael

Michael has reported positively on General Petraeus, whom he has known personally for many years. He predicted, months before it began, that the tactic known as “the surge” would likely be successful, including a detailed prediction of the reaction of the Sunnis – all borne out by actual events. Read him yourself (his posts are all archived at his site), and please join me in urging your Senators and Representatives to allow General Petraeus to finish the job they sent him off to do…