My biggest fear right now is that the Bush administration is going to be panicked by the constant barrage against it into doing something rash, like trying to dive out of Iraq too soon.

I agree. It's time to back off. As I said in another thread, the war is history, and now the best thing we can do for everyone--both ourselves and the Iraqis--is support the reconstruction efforts.

But the media, unfortunately, is composed of mere mortals...moreover, mortals with interests. And one of their interests is in seeing "things happen," the more dramatic, the better. Peace in Iraq would be wonderful, but not very dramatic. So it's in the media's interest to see unrest in Iraq...or at the very least to project that image, reality be damned.

I've worked closely with reporters, and have watched them manufacture news stories on many occassions...it's what they do on slow news days, and they pride themselves on their ability to "make" news where none existed before. Violence and suffering in Iraq is just too juicy and dramatic, and they aren't going to want to let it go. If that means manufacturing such stories where none really exist, just to keep the drama going, I wouldn't put it beyond them for a second.