House votes to withdraw troops by Spring. The Iraqi government is achieving only spotty military and political progress, the Bush administration conceded Thursday in an assessment that war critics quickly seized on as confirmation of their dire warnings. Within hours, the House voted to withdraw U.S. troops by spring.  — The Huffington post

Defending an Iraq strategy in a race against time. Once again, President Bush tried today to buy more time for his strategy in Iraq, refusing to say when conditions there might allow him to begin the troop drawdown that he insists is his ultimate goal. — The New York Times

Iraq report won’t help Bush. Half full, half empty. No matter how you spin it, the Iraq report won’t help President Bush make his stay-the-course case to a skeptical public and Congress. — Forbes

Who believes what he believes? Bush’s attempt to recast the debate is not new. The White House has long been trying to make it a battle between winners and losers, on the assumption that Americans don’t like seeing themselves as losers. But the big loser here may well be the president. — The Washington Post

Report faults Iraq on progress. The Bush administration, in a report to Congress, conceded that the Iraqi government has failed to meet key benchmarks used to justify the “surge” of new U.S. forces into Iraq even as the president vowed not to abandon the strategy. — The Wall Street Journal

You call that progress? The White House report released today, on how far Iraq has progressed toward 18 political and military benchmarks, is a sham. — Slate