Democrats are having a harder and harder time arguing that the United States must withdraw from Iraq because of a failure to make progress toward benchmarks and reconciliation:

Iraq's parliament on Wednesday passed three key pieces of legislation that set a date for provincial elections, allot $48 billion for 2008 spending, and provide limited amnesty to detainees in Iraqi custody...

The draft law on provincial elections, which includes a detailed outline on devolving power to the provinces, initially had said voting would begin Oct. 1. Other details on that law and the amnesty were not immediately known.

The measures still must be approved by the three-member presidency council.

Regional elections are coming. Oil revenue is being shared among the provinces, despite bickering among rival factions that prevents the enactment of formal legislation. And Iraqi security forces are increasingly capable of assuming responsibility for their own defense -- though progress is not as fast as we might like.

All-in-all, the country is continuing to move toward the day when the United States is no longer needed to guarantee security and stability. We'll learn a lot more about this progress in April, when General Petraeus again reports to the Congress and the American people about the situation on the ground in Iraq.

HT: Ed Morrissey