Meanwhile, the Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, Iraq says western media are suspiciously exaggerating stories of alleged chaos in Iraq. In his opinion, "Western newspapers and broadcasters are simply peddling propaganda and misinformation."

The truth, says Archbishop Sako, is that "Universities are operating, schools are open, people go out onto the streets normally."

Not only that, but there is no organized Iraqi resistance of any note. The bombers and beheaders are "Saudis, Jordanians, Syrians and Sudanese," with the collusion of a handful of Iraqis.

He's previously expressed his conviction that, "Iraq as an engine of democracy does not sit well with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Egypt, and other neighbors, because civil rights for non-Arab minorities, religious liberty, and legal reform would bring into question the power upon which atavistic tyrannies and proven systems of repression are based."

"Why is there so much noise and debate coming out from the West now when before, under Saddam, there were no free elections, but no one said a thing?" the Archbishop, who had his run-ins with Saddam back in the old days, asks thoughtfully...