ARTHUR CHRENKOFF posts his regular roundup of underreported good news from Iraq, and observes:

It has been a mission of this fortnightly column, now in its 19th edition, to bring to readers’ attention all that “gets overlooked if not ignored” in Iraq: the advancements of the political and civil society; the rebirth of freedom, economic growth and reconstruction progress; the generosity of foreigners and the positive role coalition troops play in rebuilding the country; and the usually unremarked-upon security successes.

Contrary to some critics, the intention has never been to whitewash the situation in Iraq or to downplay the negative. The violence, bloodshed, disappointments and frustrations are all there for everyone to see and read about in the “mainstream” media on a daily basis. Pointing out positive developments is not to deny the bad news, merely to provide a more complete picture. As voters faced with the defining foreign policy issue of the new millennium, we owe it to ourselves to be fully informed about the state of affairs in Iraq–and that means rebuilt hospitals as well as car bombs.

What follows is not the full picture of Iraq–merely that part of it you don’t often see on the nightly news or the pages of newspapers.

And thanks to Arthur for doing it, and to the folks at the Wall Street Journal for giving a blogger such a big platform. And, if you haven’t already, read this critique of the press coverage from a soldier in Iraq.