Leon Sparx was kind enough to drop me a note to point me to his blog. He took a trip to Baghdad recently and affirmed what I’ve been reading elsewhere about the conditions and the atmosphere on the street:

The Iraqis I met were all delighted to meet a civilian American–most of them have never seen one without a rifle at arm’s reach. Just as they wanted to convince me that not all Iraqis are maniacs throwing stones at soldiers, so too did I want to show them that Americans are nice, open-minded people who have no quarrel with Muslims or Arabs. As a tourist, I could walk the streets freely and talk to people as I liked. I didn’t have a cumbersome motorcade or armed escort following me around, which I think encouraged people to open up.

Visit his site for photos and more. Help the guy buy a digital camera, too.