During an exclusive interview this week on FOX News Radio's Alan Colmes Show, Colmes asked the general bluntly, "Is the surge working?" His reply: "It is. We are making progress. We have achieved tactical momentum in many areas, especially against Al Qaeda in Iraq, and to a lesser degree against the militia extremists. We're also heartened by the number of Iraqi tribes and local?citizens who have rejected Al Qaeda."

Asked whether Iraqis could take over their own security, the general replied, "They have actually taken over security in a number of different places If you look at Samawa, Nasiriyah, Najaf, Karbala -- we hardly have any forces in those locations at all."

Though Alan Colmes is anything but a shill for the Bush administration, his liberal media colleagues simply ignored these previews of what Gen. Petraeus will tell Congress in September. One can only conclude that they don't want the American people to get any good news from the battlefield.

It's time to face facts. The American media simply isn't going to march in step with this war. My eight trips, embedded with U.S. units, letting our troops tell the story, haven't been enough. Having the battlefield commander tell the story hasn't worked. Neither have video conferences from the Situation Room, talking points issued by the Pentagon or news conferences such as this week's from the White House press room.

There is, however, a way to reach the American people while our Congress is on vacation. Chief Executive George W. Bush can't do it from Washington or his dad's place in Kennebunkport, Maine. After kissing French President Nicholas Sarkozy on the cheek and taking him out to fish, Commander in Chief George W. Bush needs to jump on Air Force One and fly to Iraq.

Now is the time to change the paradigm, Mr. President. Your visit will confound America's adversaries and reassure our allies. The troops will be forever grateful. And most Americans will admire you for going because it's the right thing to do.