Iraq meets 3 of 18 Benchmarks..

In most places meeting only three out of 18 benchmarks would be considered a failure, and it's really hard to find any promising news with the latest draft of a Government Accountability Office report. Except I suppose if one were really reaching for any kind of a positive spin they would say three was better than none.

It appears from how this is being reported that:

The draft provides a stark assessment of the tactical effects of the current U.S.-led counteroffensive to secure Baghdad. "While the Baghdad security plan was intended to reduce sectarian violence, U.S. agencies differ on whether such violence has been reduced," it states. While there have been fewer attacks against U.S. forces, it notes, the number of attacks against Iraqi civilians remains unchanged. It also finds that "the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved."

What is also disturbing is the rationale for the report being leaked to the Washington Post in draft form:

The person who provided the draft report to The Post said it was being conveyed from a government official who feared that its pessimistic conclusions would be watered down in the final version -- as some officials have said happened with security judgments in this month's National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. Congress requested the GAO report, along with an assessment of the Iraqi security forces by an independent commission headed by retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones, to provide a basis for comparison with the administration's scorecard. The Jones report is also scheduled for delivery next week.