President Bush was the invisible man at the GOP convention, barely getting a mention. Something tells me Bush doesn’t mind: unlike Clinton, he’s secure in himself and understands that the coming presidential election counts more than his feelings at this moment.

I admire his humility, his determination and his guts. As does Iraqpundit:

While it’s fashionable to mock President Bush, some in Washington are smart enough to speak the truth. WaPo’s editorial writer says today that Bush’s surge decision, in opposition to the counsel of most of Congress and some in his own administration, will stand as one of the best and most courageous acts of his presidency.

The writer talks about Anbar in Iraq that though there is, as ever, reason for concern about the future of the Sunni province, it is a significant success.

Typically those who were opposed to the surge, including Obama and Biden, say that things are better because the Sunni tribes turned against al-Qaeda before the surge. In other words, they argue U.S. troops didn’t have much to do with the victory in Anbar. But there is information that says otherwise.

WaPo reports that Bob Woodward’s latest book tells us that the Sunni leaders did some of the work but “groundbreaking” new covert techniques enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to locate, target and kill insurgent leaders and key individuals in extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq.”