'Improving Security Situation'

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 9, 2007 — -- U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker is on a mission to find progress -- progress that will demonstrate to Congress and the American public that not only is the surge of U.S. forces here working but that the relative security it is bringing will improve the political situation.

"There is, I think, an improving security situation," said Crocker, who suggested dramatic political progress across Iraq would not be evident anytime soon.

"I don't think you can expect instant political progress," he said, "that all of a sudden the level of violence has dropped and therefore political deals that weren't possible three weeks ago are suddenly possible."

To drive home the point that there are pockets of progress, Crocker choppered into Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar, a mainly Sunni Muslim province in western Iraq. It's a place that just a few short months ago no Western civilian would have dared step foot in.

Under heavy guard, Crocker walked through downtown Ramadi -- its buildings and streets scared and pitted by years of fierce fighting -- to meet with local shopkeepers.

The turn around in Ramadi is stunning. In June 2006 there were nearly 450 attacks against U.S. forces there. This June there were fewer than 25.

Marine specialist Justin Whited has just 42 days left of a year-long rotation. He saw Anbar at its worst. The new security has increased morale and renewed his hope. He can even walk freely on base with little worry about snipers.

"I feel like we are actually accomplishing something, that we are performing a mission and it's succeeding," he said.

The United States said it is capitalizing on a split between Sunni tribes and al Qaeda that started in 2005. The military has sped money and projects to the devastated cities of Anbar, and Crocker is urging Iraq's central government to be more responsive to Anbar's needs.

What was most remarkable about the ambassador's trip is what he chose to wear -- or not to wear. The top U.S. official in Iraq left the flak jacket and helmet behind as he spoke with Iraqis on the streets of Ramadi.