As I see it, a blog is a place where one person, or a small group, holds forth opinions. Comments by readers may or may not be part of it. Some blogs, like Instapundit, are more like the Drudge Report, in that it's primarily pointers to things the writer finds interesting, with minimal comment.

This would be a discussion board, and referring to it as a blog would not be correct.

Blogs are sneered at by a lot of people. Oddly, many of these same people will treat something written in the New York Times by someone they don't even know like it's the word of God. Yet the NYT hasn't exactly distinguished itself for accuracy either.

Blogs for me are just one source of information. I could be excused for thinking that someone in Iraq who has lived there all his life and speaks the native language might have a better idea of what's going on than a reporter in the Green Zone. Especially since, as someone who's going to have to live there, he has a major stake in the outcome. Certainly I'm going to hear more about what the Iraqi newpapers and radio stations are saying from someone who speaks the language.