Riverbend: An Iraqi Blogger in Context

Jeff Weintraub provides some necessary -- and perhaps overdue -- context to the passionate posts of Riverbend, a Sunni blogger in Baghdad who recently stated that she and her family had decided to leave Iraq.

I have quoted Riverbend early and often (here, here and here, for example) because of her eloquence. But Weintraub notes in a response to a recent post by Andrew Sullivan that Riverbend has a pretty big ax to grind and that context is worth noting.

As is questioning her ferocious insistence that the reign of Saddam Hussein represents a sort of good old days for many Iraqis because of the chaos that the U.S. invasion and occupation have visited upon her fellow Sunnis and Iraq.

To give credit where it's due, Sullivan was quick to put up a link to Weintraub. More here.