WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley is in Iraq today, her first-ever trip after five years of war, and the critic of President Bush’s war strategy makes a surprising assessment as she finds signs of hope in once war-torn parts of the country.

“It’s not like we were walking in the park on a Sunday,” she said her stroll in Ramadi, the capital city of Al Anbar Provence. But there were no shots fired during her stay and commerce seemed to be returning. She remains concerned about the Iraqi government’s ability to seize the window of opportunity created by the troop surge to form a functioning government. “The Iraqi leaders are still not where they need to be,” she said by phone from the Green Zone.

She plans to visit with troops from Nevada on Christmas Day before the congressional delegation she is with flies to Turkey.