After trip to Iraq, Rehberg declares surge a 'success'

By JENNIFER McKEE Of The Gazette State Bureau HELENA - Fresh from a brief tour of Iraq, Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., told Montana reporters this afternoon that the beefed-up presence of American troops in the country has worked to restore order and the country has made strides. "I would be so bold as to say the surge has worked," Rehberg said in a conference call arranged from his Washington, D.C., office. "There has been a marked improvement." Rehberg, who has visited the country three times since the U.S. invaded in 2003, said the last time he was there in November of 2005 there were few crops in the fields, irrigation ditches were empty and the collapsed economy and dangerous situation on the ground left many with little to do. Rehberg visited the country again over the weekend and said that even as his helicopter swooped... [read full story]