Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report

The Iraqi government has failed to meet any of the benchmarks for reforms mandated when Congress funded the troop surge, according to a progress report due out this week. An unnamed official tells the AP that the disappointing outcome will accelerate the administration's decision-making process on Iraq, but another anonymous source says any policy alteration awaits a mid-September progress report.

With GOP support for the war crumbling and the Senate preparing to vote on Democratic-backed legislation calling for troop withdrawals to begin this fall, this week's interim report has assumed new significance. White House press secretary Tony Snow soft-pedaled the findings, saying, "You are not going to expect all the benchmarks to be met at the beginning of something." (More Iraq stories.)