Complaints about the MSM abound these days.  One of those most amazing things about them is their incredible ability to repeat something someone says enough times to make people take it to be truth.
Prime example.  The surge IS working.  This perception is growing in America, and I worry that it may become an issue in an election where both the remaining Democrats want to get out.  Problem being, of course, that there seems to be little fact to back up this statement of "The surge is working." This has been bothering me for awhile.
Matthew Yglesias addresses the media's influence on that here.
A quick glance (seriously - this is a pretty long list but only a fraction of what's out there.) at the latest news out of Iraq:
The fingers of four South African contractors sent to US Authorities.
Here's a recent perspective on the war from an Australian paper.
This one's a real gem: Titled, "Us Commanders: al-Qaida in Iraq to Stay", in which a man who served as #2 in Iraq notes: "The U.S. and Iraqi government intent is to chip away at al-Qaida until it is reduced to "almost a nonentity."
Another Christian leader in Iraq targeted: kidnapped and murdered.  
From the English paper The Telegraph, describes how Iraq has changed in the past five years.  Hint: it's titled "A Nation in Pieces."
Latest security developments. 
Oh, here's some good news!  The Parliament voted on three laws!  Finally!  But wait.  Even Petraeus and Crocker (the 2 top officials) seem unsure it will actually be implemented.  And they pushed back voting on the parts of the laws that are actually contentious.  
An interesting article from Rolling Stone written by a fluent Arabic speaker.  Much has been said about the surge producing a decrease in violence.  Kind of seems like it may have more to do with the fact that al-Sadr extended his Shiite milita ceasefire for another six months (till Aug/Sept) and that we are paying and arming the Sunnis who go by the name of "The Awakening".  
Latest death count.  Sigh.  I can't seem to find a count for those injured, but I'm sure it's not a number the government routinely publishes.  And only 28% of the country knows roughly how many casualties there are of the war.  
In addition to the already widely known poor treatment of vets, this is one of the most disturbing articles I've read yet.  Nothing is said or done about the lasting psychological effects of war on the young men and women coming home from Iraq.  Even if we were to get out of Iraq tomorrow, the effects of this ill-conceived war will echo throughout our lifetimes.
The surge HAS lowered the level of violence from the time when it was worst.  But, it's still at about the same level it was in the spring of 2005 - about 60 attacks a day on American troops and Iraqi civilians.  60 attacks a day, in my book, is no grand success.  In addition: “While security has improved in Iraq, a permissive security environment has yet to be achieved,”  One of the primary goals of the surge being, of course, creating space for political and economic efforts.  And then to top it all off, Petraeus now says, "Iraqis not making sufficient progress."
Yeah.  A resounding success.