In Baghdad, members of radical cleric al-Sadr's militia turned in their guns and other artillery for cash. Although al-Sadr has broken peace agreements before, this looks to be the most promising step yet taken by the Shi'ite minority opposed to Coalition occupation.

The handover of weapons occurred as Donald Rumsfeld detailed plans to hand over control to the Iraqi police and security forces, whose numbers currently stand at 100,000. The administration hopes to increase that number to 150,000 by January, and then, eventually, 250,000. This is key as the question of whether or not to send more American troops will hinge on the success of both increasing the Iraqi forces and training them to handle periods of unrest. Indeed, once that increase in Iraqi security forces has been achieved, there will be serious talk about withdrawing American forces.

The only drawback may be a tight budget that won't allow for the increase in security forces, as Rumsfeld pointed out, which would render the question over more American troops moot. Of course, they would then be required. We can only hope that the plan works out and can be put into effect.

A well-equipped Iraqi presence, backed by American forces, is vital during the run-up to the January elections. But the Iraqis must know that we will take all steps necessary to ensure that they are in confident control before we dare to entertain the thought of withdrawing our forces, should the opportunity for such present itself.