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Greensboro, NC — Rudy Giuliani usually lambastes Democrats for advocating retreat and defeat from Iraq but today took a moment to praise a rival for admitting that the surge is making progress.

“One of the Democratic congressman just recently returned from Iraq and he said something suggesting that the surge in Iraq is working. Now this is someone who had been a critic of the surge–had said that it wasn’t working before and had said that he didn’t think it could work so I reallly commend him and his honesty and candor in going there and–at least on that one aspect–changing his mind,” Giuliani said during a speech to North Carolina women’s group.

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a usually vocal critic of the war, told reporters Thursday, “I think the surge is working,” but did temper his praise by adding that the U.S. is still failing diplomatically in Iraq. For his part, Giuliani focused on Murtha’s first comment.

“It seems to be pretty obvious now that what a lot of people thought was impossible four or five months ago now seems to be working better,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani also praised Murtha in interviews this morning with radio stations in a number of primary states (NH, IA, SC, FL), according to a campaign aide.

After a quick Thanksgiving trip to Iraq, Senator John McCain is lashing out at Democrats who won’t say the surge is working.

Campaigning in South Carolina, a state with a large military and veterans’ population, McCain insists the U.S. military is making progress in Iraq.

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Senator Biden released a statement Monday saying that the attempt by “John McCain and Rudy Giuliani to defend the Bush-Cheney troop surge in Iraq totally misses the point – and is misleading to the American people. Security in Iraq is better, thanks in no small measure to our troops. But there is no evidence – none – that the surge is succeeding in achieving its stated objective: to allow Iraqis to come together politically.”

McCain maintains there has been some political progress in Iraq, but admits that he’s frustrated by the Maliki government.