Time to use the space created by the surge

The military success of the surge in Iraq has been quite astonishing but much remains to be done on the political front. Part of the reason for this is that Iraqi politicians like to go right up to the wire, as they at every stage in the political process since 2003, before reaching an agreement. 

Still what Tom Friedman reports this morning is not encouraging: since the Petraeus and Crocker report to Congress in September the four key Iraqi leaders have not been in the same county at the same time. It is time for Iraq's political leadership to begin the process of capitalising on the space and time created by the surge.