From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Iraq, the surge, and U.S. withdrawal.

Hello again, I'm O'Marnalny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

The surge of American forces has helped reduce Iraq's deadly violence, but U.S. military

officials say a window of opportunity is closing.

Iraqis are walking the streets again. Some restaurants and stores stay open after dark,

but the government is dragging its feet on political reconciliation.

On to the point, with reduction of U.S. forces scheduled to start very soon,

can Iraqi police and soldiers prevent the violence from escalating again?

Would the cost of staying be even higher than the cost of getting out as quickly as possible?

On reporter's notebook later on, some local cities are making life easier for illegal immigrants.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio International Program Fund,

whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur

Foundation. Hello again. Warman-Aulney, back with To the Point. The U.S. military says violence has

been reduced in Iraq to the lowest point in two years. But top officers complain that Iraq's

government is missing the opportunity for political reconciliation. On To the Point, what's it like

on the streets of Baghdad? Can

Iraqi forces keep it that way as the American surge comes to an end? On reporter's notebook,

San Francisco gets ready to issue its own passports to undocumented workers. First, this news update,

the head of the Transportation Security Administration told Congress today that airport screeners are not the only

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