Had dinner last night at this place with a couple old friends and a couple new ones. Great food and great conversation. One friend is headed to Basra with the State Department, another to Jerusalem as a journalist (after a tour in Iraq as an embed last year). Both are very knowledgeable about the war, and it's pretty depressing to hear some of their stories.

Had a long and fascinating discussion re: how ultimately the whole kit & kaboodle depends on the choices the average Iraqi is making today about whether to take personal risks in actively supporting their new government, or whether to hunker down and wait to see who comes out on top (and increase the chance of keeping their family alive in the meantime).

I hope & pray, for the sake of their grandchildren, that the majority find the wisdom & courage to err on the side of the former.  ¶ 10:53 PM