Progress Report.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Iraq: Negotiators agreed Monday on an interim constitution that moves the country closer to holding free elections and enjoying representative government. We can't stress enough how important this development is.

The constitution isn't the sole sign of headway in Iraq, though. The month that ended Sunday had the fewest deaths for U.S. soldiers -- 20 -- than any month since the war began. In all, 23 coalition soldiers died in February, which is also the lowest figure since the invasion in that category.

While every death our forces suffer in Iraq is regrettable and we hold the highest respect and honor for each life lost, we can't help but note the forward strides. With the number of wounded also falling -- 134 last month, fewer than a third of the 422 who were wounded in October, when soldiers were falling at a rate of nearly 14 a day -- the news is encouraging.

That good news includes indications that oil production has returned to prewar levels. Iraq is now producing 2.53 million barrels a day, according to a Coalition Provisional Authority official. Of that, roughly 1.8 million barrels per day are ready for export, exceeding the mark the authority set at the end of the war.

With nearly a year having gone by since coalition forces invaded Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein's regime, it's ...