Every Civilian's Death Diminishes Us, Collectively.

The First Official Statements Of President Asif Ali Zardari's New Government Have Been Firm And Robust. Pakistan Is Obviously A Renewed Democracy.

Al-qaida In Particular Remains Dangerous, And There [in Iraq] Is Some Residual Militia And Special Group Presence. There Are Still Between 20 And 30 Attacks Per Day, Still Periodic Car Bombs And Still Loss Of Innocent Civilians.

Over The Last Few Years They Have Done A Superb Job In Their Fight Against Al-qaida. As You May Recall, Our Embassy In Jedda (in Saudi Arabia) Was Overrun Some Four Years Ago And A Number Of Foreign Workers Went Home Because Of Violence Against Them.

I Did A Week-long Assessment In 2005 At (then Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld's Request. Following Our Return, I Told Him That Afghanistan Was Going To Be The Longest Campaign Of What We Then Termed "the Long War."

The Progress In Iraq Is Still Fragile. And It Could Still Be Reversed. Iraq Still Faces Innumerable Challenges, And They Will Be Evident During What Will Likely Be A Difficult Process As The Newly Elected Council Of Representatives Selects The Next Prime Minister, President, And Speaker Of The Council.