A positive story in the Dallas Morning News!

I had to look twice to make sure it was true. Today the Dallas Morning News published a front page (below the fold but still on the front page), written by Ed Timms and entitled The changing of the guard in Iraq. Timms tells the story of how the Iraqi National Guard is taking the lead in Iraq. You should read the whole story for yourself, but I'll quote some of the highlights here.

1 It was a hard rite of passage for soldiers who are part of the Iraqi national guard's 302nd Battalion: a prolonged firefight in one of Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhoods.

Outgunned, they fought on their own for well over an hour without assistance from U.S. forces. One was killed, several more wounded. And even though the Iraqi soldiers eventually asked for help, U.S. advisers say they are encouraged by the outcome.

Across the country, Iraqis are being asked to take charge of their future. For the U.S.-trained Iraqi national guard, that means taking on more responsibility for security in Iraq.

2 Sgt. Martin Morales, 45, a deputy U.S. marshal in Dallas when he's not wearing an Army uniform, recounted the first time he accompanied them into an Iraqi community and the children realized that the soldiers handing out leaflets were not Americans.

"The kids went all bug-eyed and started hugging and kissing them," Sgt. Morales said. "Then they ran inside and brought their families out."

3 Though bloodied, the Iraqi guard soldiers who fought in al-Sheik Maruf are not ready to call it quits. And that's seen as another promising development.

Since the attack, the Iraqi soldiers have been tracking down the names and addresses of the insurgents they fought against. And they've had help from residents in the neighborhood who, in the past, have been closed-mouthed after attacks on U.S. or joint U.S.-Iraqi patrols.

Capt. Bradley said the soldiers are "eager to go out and get them and take control of that part of the city."

4 Tay Yas Abbas Tahi, 23, a captain in the Iraqi guard, was a 2nd lieutenant in the Iraqi army last year. The one-time Baath Party member fought against the Americans, helping to launch Samoud missiles against U.S. targets.

After the war, he said, as he watched Americans try to help his country, he began questioning the anti-American rhetoric he'd been exposed to by Saddam Hussein's regime. He had a change of heart. And he decided to help by joining the guard.

"In the end, we must make the country safe," he said. "Democracy ... is up to us. It's important for Iraqis to be in charge of Iraqis."

And he'd also like to see U.S. soldiers who've become his friends be able to go home.

You don't suppose the media is running out of negative news in Iraq, do you?