Baghdad Blogger does Washington

In the run-up to the Iraq conflict, a web diary from Baghdad captured a global following. Its author, Salam Pax, reluctantly supported the invasion. Now he journeys for the first time to the city where the decision was taken for war - and asks if it's already too late for freedom in his country

"I can't make up my mind about how this trip makes me feel. I came here ready to be indignant and angry but all you find is people who realise the gravity of the mistakes made over Iraq. The only person who seems to be incapable of admitting that any mistakes were made is the guy sitting in the White House."

"I wake up when she mentions Dick Cheney. She seems to really like America's vice-president. "Cheney is a very big man, not in the physical sense," she says. Thanks for the clarification."

"Would John Kerry bring those people back into the game? Does that even matter now? Is it already too late?"

It's never too late, Pax, never.
Madtom