Some Rare GOOD News from Iraq...But Will You See/Hear It Elsewhere ???

I came across this article today on Reuters indicating that American troop deaths in Iraq have reached a wartime low. I should note that Reuters is not a news organization that has ever been accused of a pro-American bias, particularly when it comes to the U.S. presence in Iraq. Here, for example, was the lead sentence of Reuters' take on the almost universally hailed capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003 by American soldiers:

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein near his home town of Tikrit in a major coup for Washington's beleaguered occupation force in Iraq.

Given the source then, this news is perhaps even more notable. The bottom line, though, is that there were clearly some positive developments in Iraq during the month of May. Take a look at a few of the highlights from this article:

• "U.S. troop deaths in Iraq fell to their lowest level last month since the 2003 invasion and officials said on Sunday improved security also helped the country boost oil production in May to a post-war high."
  
• "Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani told Reuters in an interview that the improved security had helped Iraq, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves, raise oil production to a post-war high of 2.5 million barrels per day in May."
  
• "The military says violence in Iraq is now at a four-year low following crackdowns by U.S. and Iraqi forces on Shi'ite militias in southern Basra and Baghdad and on al Qaeda in the northern city of Mosul, its last major urban stronghold."
• "U.S. officials credit the turnaround in security to President George W. Bush's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq, a rebellion by Sunni tribal leaders against al Qaeda, and a ceasefire by anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr."

All of this is good news. What will be interesting for me now is to see if any other "mainstream media" outlets highlight a rare piece of positive news from Iraq. After all, The New York Times, NBC News and other mainstream media stalwarts are always quick (if not eager) to report on the negative, so here's hoping they are nearly as quick and eager with the positive...