Joe Pitts: “there is still a lot to do, but as we speak the Iraqi government is making progress. Iraqi police are rounding up…”

“there is still a lot to do, but as we speak the Iraqi government is making progress. Iraqi police are rounding up kidnappers. The Kurds have captured 15 foreign militants in Kirkuk, including a key leader and an al-Qaeda affiliate. The number of Arab and other foreign fighters currently detained in Iraq continues to grow. Iraq's border police have apprehended more than 60,000 foreigners in the past 7 months, most of them Iranians trying to enter Iraq illegally, and there are plenty of signs that the residents of Baghdad are finding a sense of normalcy amidst the transition to democracy. Five teams participated in the first Iraqi baseball tournament, including two female teams. Nightlife is returning to the banks of the Tigris River, and residents have started frequenting summer cafes. In Mosul the military is working with Iraqis to dig wells, renew archeological digs, build a laboratory and repair a hospital elevator. The Iraqi people are making progress despite the ongoing efforts of terrorists to drag them back to the dark ages of Saddam Hussein.”