I've lived in the Middle East for the past 8½ years (including a stint in Kuwait during the liberation of Iraq). I get my news on the pulse of Iraq from my barber, whose family still lives there. A few comments from him are: people are happy; the economy is growing; safety is no longer a concern; and the small shop that he and his brother bought there is doing well. The most telling comment though, is that he says he quit listening to the news reports! They simply don't reflect what is the reality on the ground.