According to the Pew Research Center, a new poll shows Americans think the situation in Iraq is less dire. The center credits the death of key al Qaeda figure Abu Musab al Zarqawi and President Bush’s surprise visit to Baghdad for the turnaround. The June 14-19 survey indicates more Americans believe the US is making progress in a number of areas, as the graph (click on the box) displays. (Read the full survey results here.)
The B-21 Raider stealth bomber was recently flown, for the first time, by an operational pilot as part of its flight test process, the Air Force said June 11. And a top Pentagon official said the move to bring operational testing into the B-21 process earlier than normal shows the…