Iraqis Skunk US

This is a super positive story of what is really happening on the ground in Iraq while there are still some hotspots a US team was able to shed their body armor for soccer uniforms and take on a local club team. They whooped us good but that is not the point, the fact that they were able to have this friendly match is. This is a great developement considering this area was once over run by Al Qaeda, I can't believe McClatchy news actually covered it but they did, kudos to them.

A soccer game on a dirt field between two amateur teams_ one U.S. Army soldiers, one local Iraqis — may not seem like a big deal in the scope of the wider war.

Especially when it's a blow-out by the Iraqis; when both teams are playing in running shoes, not cleats; when the nets are thin blue mesh; and when only a couple hundred fans brave the 108-degree temperature in this town due west of Kirkuk.

But the recent match between members of the 87th Infantry's 1st battalion and several young men from the Sons of Iraq meant much more than the 9-0 score.

For one thing, it was the third time in recent days when American soldiers donned shorts and "Salute to Our Fallen Heroes" T-shirts to go head-to-head and foot-to-foot with teams of opponents who, only months ago, may have been trying to kill them.

In other news from Iraq the once "lost" Anbar province will be turned over to Iraqi control in a few days. This is the same province that contains Ramadi and Fallujah also former AQ strongholds as part of the notorious Sunni triangle. We have made so much incredible progress in Iraq thet even the MSM can no longer ignore it.