Repeat after me: Iraq is fine....there are no problems...don't worry...

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Sometimes my president just amazes me. Apparently, baffled by growing Americican resistance to the U.S. presence in Iraq, the White House has been turning the blame onto the American media. According to one article, government officials are now accusing reporters in the Mideast of "indulging in a morbid obsession with death and destruction, and ignoring how Iraq has improved since Saddam Hussein was toppled." While I would certainly want any news to be fair and balanced, I also want them to report the truth. And the situation in Iraq has definitely not improved since Saddam Hussein was toppled--not yet, anyway. There's still a great deal of violence and chaos in the country, aimed at virtually any foreigner who steps foot within its borders. The populace itself is embroiled in a civil war. In fact, the political and social climate there is so unstable that all it takes is a few cartoons to cause rioting and protests. And most importantly, with regard to Bush's obstinate refusal to believe his critics, the whole damn country is simply unsafe to live and travel around in. And the reporters are pissed, especially the ones actually in Iraq whose lives have been in danger the whole time, who have been forced to report from hotel balconies because it's simply unsafe to go talk with people on the streets. Now, I understand that the media has long been accused of focusing on the sensational, of peddling sex and death because it sells, but for the White House to fall back on that cliched stereotype now in an attempt to pacify us by blaming the reporters is simply irresponsible. I'm sorry, but Iraq is currently in a world of shit. And any attempt to persuade us otherwise at this point is an insult to our collective intelligence. CNN's Lara Logan tells it like it is here: