I've been reading a "frontline blog" from Iraq for a few weeks now and I've been consistently impressed with its content.   The blog is authored by a dentist in Baghdad named "Zayed" and gives a decidedly "informed middle class" perspective on news and events in Iraq - a perspective I cherish and one quite apart from the media elites, activists, politicians and the like.  He's not stupid, not a zealot, and on the opposite side hasn't had his mind corrupted by a Western Social Sciences PhD program either.  He's real.

Today's post provides a GOOD tonguelashing to the naysayers left, right, and center who doubt what we're doing in Iraq:

You see a handful of teenagers dancing in front of the camera celebrating dead Americans, and you judge an entire people, you start whining about pulling the troops out of Iraq and giving the Iraqis what they deserve. Are you people really so close-minded? It is the fault of your news agencies that show you what they want, its certainly not ours. If you want us to go out and cry for your dead soldiers and wave American flags, then don't count on it either. We are losing way too many innocent Iraqis daily to be grieving over dead soldiers who have actually made a decision to come here. What about the thousands of dead Iraqis who were not as lucky to have a choice? Did you cry for them?

According to a poll by an Iraqi agency, only 3% of Iraqis want Saddam back and less than 40% want the Americans to leave immediately. Did you even hear about these results?

If you think that Iraqis aren't doing enough, then you're being mislead by your media. Thousands of people are applying to be members of IP, FPS, and the civil defense force. They are begging for the security to be in their hands. We know how to handle those scum. The Americans are more interested in being nice and all about human rights and free speech and stuff. We have our own Law and court systems which we can use but the CPA won't allow us to. They are being too lenient and forgiving on our expence. If you think that is what is required to build a successful democracy then you're too deluded. You don't know the first thing about the Iraqi society.

It's good, meaty stuff that really forces you to think for a sec.   The standard in Iraq isn't perfection - no war will ever have a zero body count.   Nor does any worthwhile peace.  The standard is making life better for folks like Zayed.   Read it all.