U.S. Troops Out of Iraq Before 2012?

Major media outlets are reporting that the U.S. and Iraq are close to signing a deal for withdrawal.

This is something that was inconceivable last summer - before the surge.
Not that you'd know this from most media coverage.

The WSJ today reports on the rise of the Iraqi Army, as it grows in strength and discipline, and is now beating back terrorism on its own - another fairly recent development.