Is it time for America to declare success in Iraq? That depends on whom you ask. While the nation has been consumed with its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the war -- the early focal point of the presidential campaign -- has moved to the back burner.
In May 2007, at the start of the troop "surge" that is credited with quelling much of the violence in Iraq, Congress established 18 benchmarks that it would use to determine whether America was succeeding there. Now, a year and a half later, whether those benchmarks have been met depends on whom you talk to.
White House officials say Iraq has met most of the goals, rendering the benchmarks irrelevant. But others say Iraq still has a lot of work to do.
The Government Accountability Office released a report in the summer that cited little improvement in the political and economic areas and noted continuing military problems despite a significant decline in overall violence.