The surge must be working because the Iraqis are opening their shops and selling....dust?

Hours before Campbell spoke, a delegation led by an American general, with several reporters in tow, filed through Combat Outpost Gator. Scores of Iraqis were milling inside the fortified market, where shopkeepers were selling clothing, shoes, and other consumer goods. In December, the market was a war zone, but roadside bombings and other attacks there have dropped significantly.

After the delegation left, Major Ron Minty, 36, said that the generals had wanted 300 shops open for business by July 1. By the day of the delegation's visit, 303 had opened.

"It took us until August 1st - not bad," said Minty, the acting commander of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. The goal by Sept. 1 was 500, he said. (By Monday, 349 stores were open. Before the US-led invasion, the market had more than 850 shops.)

Still, the Dora market is a Potemkin village of sorts. The US military hands out $2,500 grants to shop owners to open or improve their businesses. The military has fixed windows and doors and even helped rebuild shops that had burned down, soldiers and others said.

"We helped them a lot. We gave them money, security, even the locks on their doors," said a 36-year-old Iraqi interpreter at the outpost whom US soldiers call Jimmy for security reasons. He asked that his real name not be used. "Everything we gave them. That's why the violence has stopped. That's why they cooperate with us."

Some shopkeepers said they would not do business in the market without US support. "The Americans are giving money, so they're opening up stores," said Falah Hassan Fadhil, 27, who sells cosmetics.

First Lieutenant Jose Molina, who is in charge of monitoring and disbursing the grant money, said the US military includes barely operating stores in its tally. "Although they sell dust, they are open for business," said Molina, 35, from Dallas. "They intend to sell goods or they may just have a handful of goods. But they are still counted."

Security measures in the market are rigorous. Vehicles are not allowed inside for fear of car bombs. Customers are body-searched at checkpoints. Humvees constantly patrol the area, which is the sole focus of the 50 or so soldiers of Combat Outpost Gator.

So to sum this up, the shops are being given $2,500 just to open up (Which is probably more then some of these shops make in a year.), they are provided extraordinary security by American troops, and they don't even have to really sell anything to be considered part of the market. And this is considered a success?

You know I think what the Republicans learned from Ronald Reagan, was not how to really lead the country, but instead how to build movie sets and use special effects to impress the audience.

And the sad thing is that it is working! It is totally convincing to the MSM and many of our less critical thinking fellow Americans. And the rest of us just sound like Bush haters or conspiracy theorists when we point out that the truth is just the opposite of what is being said. It is almost like people so desperately want to believe in the "movie" that they are willing to totally suspend their disbelieve in exchange for feeling better about our country and what our country is doing.