Many negative prognosticators would tell you the glass is half empty in Iraq. I have maintained and continue to maintain a cautious optimism. To me, the glass is half full. Iraq’s infrastructure is on the mend and, most importantly, Iraqis are fighting to bring stability to their own country.

Iraqis have a new constitution. They have sovereignty. The Iraqi stock exchange is once again bustling with activity. According to Middle East expert Michael Rubin,

The issuance of a new currency last October was a massive undertaking. School restarted on time. Telephone subscriptions in Iraq are 47.5 percent above prewar levels; there are now 442,000 cell-phone users. Before liberation, Saddam withheld medicine and food from children to fuel propaganda; today, 85 percent of Iraqi children are immunized. Despite electrical demand far in excess of pre-war levels (thanks to importation of air-conditioning units, modern televisions, washer-driers, and other conveniences long unavailable to the Iraqi masses), electrical supply is improving. As of June 9, Baghdad and Basra governorates each enjoyed 11 hours of electricity per day; Karbala received 12 hours and Nasiriyah had 13 hours. Such figures do not include private-generator supplements. Before liberation, only 3,000 Iraqis had Internet access. Today, thousands of Internet cafes dot the Iraqi landscape, from the center of Baghdad to the edge of the restored marshes.

Iraqis are increasingly risking their lives to bring stability to their nation. It started small in May, when a joint patrol of Iraqi forces and U.S. marines entered the center of Fallujah -- no shots were fired. Also in May, about 1,000 moderate Shiite Muslims held a demonstration against radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Today, 1,800 Iraqi troops alongside 2,000 U.S. marines are attempting to clean up the mess that Sadr and his militia have made of Najaf.

Military sources estimated Sadr to have 1,000 men in his militia around Najaf. The U.S. claims to have killed 300 of them in the last week. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. The glass is half full, not half empty.