So how's that Iraq war going, anyway?

On Planet Delusional, it's going great, thank you very much:

The Pentagon said on Monday there was reason for optimism in Iraq despite what it called the "tough reality" of a war in which insurgent violence rages unabated and the U.S. military death toll approaches 2,000.

Two-and-a-half years after American-led forces invaded Iraq to oust President Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials tout political progress -- saying every important milestone has been achieved including a draft constitution -- and the steady building of Iraqi security forces.

But some defense experts, saying insurgencies like this one can take years to unfold, argued the conflict had become a military stalemate and expressed concern about civil war. They also said an erosion in U.S. public support for the war should be a worrisome development for President George W. Bush.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita urged people not to gauge the war based on the volume of rebel bombings. "That's not a good way to determine how good or bad things are going -- by (counting) how many things are exploding," Di Rita said.

"Nobody's trying to hide from that reality. It's a tough reality," he said. "But it's a tough reality in which, I think, generally the people that are closest to it, the Iraqi political leaders and our commanders, feel (there is) reason for some optimism despite all the violence."

Keep saying it, Larry. Maybe someday it'll be true. But it'll be long after you and your bumbling boss have returned to Crawford.