The troop surge is complete -- so where did it get us?

The US military reports that President Bush's troop surge is now complete:

The United States has sent around 28,000 extra troops to Iraq for afresh security push launched in mid-February aimed at curbing sectariankilling and winning the government of Shi’ite Prime Minister Nurial-Maliki time for political reform.

So how is the security situation doing thus far?  During a stop in Iraq on Friday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates gave the answer:

“Frankly, we're disappointed with theprogress so far, and hope that this most recent bombing by Al Qaedawon't further disrupt or delay the process.”

Violence is on the rise in Diyala.  Border security in Northern Iraq is so bad that it has forced Turkey to set up a buffer zone on Iraqi soil to stop insurgents from spilling into their country.  A number of Sunni mosques have been blown up following a Shiite mosque attack this week that may have been an inside job by Sunnis in the government.  More than 350 US soldiers have died since the surge began.

Oh yeah, this surge is working just great.