If we're going to be skeptical of the "good news" we hear coming out of Iraq, let's also be skeptical of the "bad."

Personally, I have just about zero faith in the mass media to tell the story. Some of the most respected papers in the US have been just flat-out wrong about all sorts of things, and pig-headed to boot. The stunningly inaccurate journalism related to Bremmer's departure speech is a terrific example.

That's why I think Tom is absolutely correct about reading the Iraqi bloggers. These are the people who know Iraq, and are living daily with the consequences of the invasion. They're not just passing through and looking for something that'll get them onto page one. And at least one of them has called the allegations against Allawi preposterous.

If right-wing propoganda can pull us off-course in our search for the truth, isn't it reasonable to suppose that left-wing propoganda can do exactly the same?