Gloom and doom, the New York Times... two tastes that taste great together:

I'm trying. I've been trying all week. The other day, I drove another 30 miles or so on the streets and alleys of Baghdad. I'm looking for the civil war that The New York Times declared. And I just can't find it.

Maybe actually being on the ground in Iraq prevents me from seeing it. Perhaps the view's clearer from Manhattan. It could be that my background as an intelligence officer didn't give me the right skills.

In a previous war, journalists would sit in a protected enclave and write glowing reports of progress. Those out in the field who could see what was going on risked their careers to tell the truth. Funny how things sometimes turn about, no?

Via Jason.