Iraq

(WaPo) A front page status report on each one of "the benchmarks" and how every single one of them has completely stalled. (Remember that US troops are dying right now to allow the Iraqis "breathing space" to pass these stalled benchmarks.)

(AP) "Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday offered a less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki...."

(HuffPo) Ariannia Huffington has a post examining the war supporters' deification of Petraeus, pointing out that "Petraeus wrote the book on counterinsurgency," but the book he wrote would not support the current plan.

(Iraqslogger) Saudis snub Maliki.

(AP) Two (Sunni) bombing attacks against KDP (The Kurds' party) since Monday, both around Mosul.

(AFP) The commander of Camp Cropper is being investigated for a series of offenses.

Later: (ABCNews) "This effort may get harder before it gets easier," Petraeus told a briefing for reporters at the Pentagon.