If This Is Progress ...

Gallup Poll, Thursday:

Nearly a quarter of respondents to a Gallup Poll said that if they had 15 minutes to talk to the president they would tell him to end the war in Iraq, making it the No. 1 response. The second most popular response -- telling Bush to control the prices of fuel and oil and improve energy -- got 8 percent of respondents ... 6 percent of respondents said they would tell Bush he was doing a good job.

George W. Bush, Thursday night:

I believe we're making really good progress in Iraq.

AP, today:

Insurgents unleashed a series of car bombings and other attacks across Iraq on Friday, killing at least 41 people, including three US soldiers ... At least 11 car bombs exploded in and around Baghdad on Friday, including four suicide attacks in quick succession in the Azamiyah section of central Baghdad.