Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette has another must read from Iraq.

Note in particular the precise way in which he fisks NYTimes reporting on Samarra (with an obligatory negative spin from some academic clerics in Baghdad).

from the NY Times:
"But if the Americans were pleased with their success, not all Iraqis were. In Baghdad, the Association of Muslim Scholars, which represents more than 3,000 Sunni mosques around the country, denounced the military operation and accused American and Iraqi troops of widespread atrocities in Samarra. The clerics, who spoke at a news conference in Baghdad, said the military action would undermine any support in the area for the elections.
"The hospital is full of bodies, children are buried in the gardens, and there are bodies filling the streets," said Muhammad Bashar al-Faidhi, one of the members of the group in Baghdad who said he was basing his accusations on witness accounts. It was impossible to independently verify his claims."

From Greyhawk:

"Based on the story byline (Samarra) and the photos I'd have to guess the reporters were with the troops in Samarra. But they were unable to verify the claims. Which I'm sure is true, but different from stating 'they saw no evidence of atrocities.'

"In fact, this is what they described:
As though a bell had been rung, people began to emerge from their homes on Sunday, gathering in small numbers on some market streets and waving warily at passing convoys of armored vehicles. Here and there, people passed along the hot, dusty streets with white flags waving over their heads.
"Nothing about fresh graves in the gardens."

Also some poignant references to Tootsie Rolls and MREs. Read the whole thing.

http://www.mudvillegazette.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1316