CONGRESSIONAL STUDY FINDS WHITE HOUSE HAS FAILED IN IRAQ PROGRESS

WASHINGTON POST - Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. . . The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq.