The surge is failing, according to the New York Times. The U.S. has fallen short of securing Baghdad by July, and the Iraqi Security Forces have been hopelessly infiltrated by Shiia militias.

The Times‘s conclusion is based on a one-page memo. The memo, actually a status update on the situation in Baghdad, was never intended to serve as a full report on the progress of the Baghdad Security Plan. But that didn’t stop the New York Times from characterizing the memo as such.