No, it's not a done deal yet. Yes, there is a long ways to go. Yes, there will be problems and difficulties galore. But somebody tell the Left that IRAQ IS RISING and will soon enough prove them to be the idiots they are. It wasn't terribly surprising that they wanted their own people running the place. What the haters (in the Middle East AND in the USA) can't seem to grasp is that that's what we wanted too. "I want to show people that we are in power now," he told his U.S. commander during their weekly lunch, the first since Monday's transfer of power. Col. Michael Formica, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Brigade, nodded in agreement. "We want you to do that," he said. Formica also approved Raoof's request to set up checkpoints and conduct patrols unaccompanied by U.S. soldiers. Then he went a step further and gave Raoof sole responsibility for patrolling one Baghdad neighborhood. Raoof said Iraqi civilians seem to be taking pride in their security forces. "Today, while on patrol, I saw people on the street clapping for them and smiling," he said. "The people are happy to see the Iraqi national guard."