It is very difficult to tell what’s going on in Iraq. The media is relentlessly negative. Almost all the stories told by returning soldiers differs from the protrait drawn by the media. A returning Marine says many interesting and touching things about his experience. Nice story (in the normally anti-war North Coast Journal). (via Instapundit).  Here is another story from a returning soldier. And yet another. And here is a report from a Congressman who had just returned from a visit. Notice that all these reports are in local, non-national, papers. The information therein is interesting, concrete, and personal. Much more revealing than the standard NY Times, etc., articles, never mind CBS or CNN stories.