"saving Rumsfeld's face"
Rumsfeld will go down the worst Defense Secretary in American history. He ignored the advice of his generals for YEARS because he was too much of an arrogant prick to admit his mistake and send in enough force to finish the job properly. Yes the surge is working, and it would have worked even better 4 years ago when the public still supported the war. Now it's just a matter of the bad guys running out the clock.