President Proudly Pronounces Positives Provincially

Now this is what I'm sayin! I've been talking about the provincial governments kicking ass and taking names for awhile now. I'm glad the President is finally touting it now, too.

When Bush announced the buildup in US troops in January, he also said the administration would double the number of provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq. These are units of US civilian, military, and diplomatic workers who help Iraqi communities rebuild infrastructure, create jobs, and encourage reconciliation from the bottom up.

Bush cited Anbar Province, where local sheiks joined US forces in driving out terrorists. Bush said that today the provincial council in Ramadi is back, and that last month, provincial officials reopened parts of the war-damaged government center with the help of a provincial reconstruction team.

"Similar scenes are taking place in other parts of Anbar," the president said. "Virtually every city and town in the province now has a mayor and a functioning municipal council."

[more...] w00t! Go Iraq!