One reason opponents of the war say we have to get out and that the surge will do no good is that U.S. troops alienate Iraqis. Obviously, all things being equal, Iraqis would prefer not to have a foreign occupying army in their country and I’m sure there are many things U.S. troops do that turn off Iraqis. But in coverage of the surge, I’m not seeing many signs of Iraqis being antagonized by the increased presence of Americans. In fact, the opposite. There’s this bit from the Times today: “For the second day of their sweep, American troops found almost no resistance, instead mostly encountering compliant residents and children begging for attention.”