Let's see how the major media are covering the second anniversary of our invasion of Iraq.

MSNBC (via the AP) - Iraq violence, poverty dampen optimism

A truly obnoxious reading of Iraqi sentiment. The article begins:

When U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq two years ago, Adnan al-Eiby was thrilled. He thought that once Saddam Hussein was toppled, Iraq would become a flourishing Western-style democracy.

“But now, I walk down the street and all I see is death — innocent people blown up by terrorists and others shot by the Americans,” said the 32-year-old chauffeur. “I’m fed up with life. We pinned our hopes on the Americans but they let us down.”

Granted it goes on to interview an Iraqi who says, "Things are 1 million times better than Saddam’s days", but the tone is set in the headline and opening paragraphs. Every positive comment is followed by the infamous "but".

Al-Eiby complained the elections may have given Iraqis a taste of democracy but have “not provided my family with bread and butter, nor do I feel safer now.”

They have experienced the act of casting a vote in the first free and fair elections in Iraq’s modern history. But lawlessness prevails, and Iraq remains mired in acts of ferocity.

At the end it quotes a 6 month old report based on wide-ranging interviews and polls, found that Iraqis have remained optimistic, “despite failures in security, services, economic opportunity.”

Of ocurse the bold header placed before that section of the article (placed at the bottom of course) is "Surprising Optimism". Surprising to whom?

I'm not sure why they ignore a much more recent poll also showing widespread Iraqi optimism. I guess it's not as good a story and it doesn't jive with their statement that, "Iraqis are split between hope and despair" - a statement that seems based on the fact that the research for their article is based on interviews with two Iraqis.