I’m taking a look back at 2007 this week. It’s interesting to see just what I posted about, and what was going on through the year.

July — This was the month when progress started to be observed in Iraq, as even some critics such as Michael E. O’Hanolon and Kenneth M. Pollack began to observe.

Viewed from Iraq, where we just spent eight days meeting with American and Iraqi military and civilian personnel, the political debate in Washington is surreal. The Bush administration has over four years lost essentially all credibility. Yet now the administration’s critics, in part as a result, seem unaware of the significant changes taking place.

Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.

August — Resignations were the theme for this month. They included Tony Snow, Alberto Gonzales and Karl Rove.

Tomorrow — September/October

Previously

• January/February
• March/April
• May/June