What's the word on the street in Baghdad?

"(Rumors surrounding the future of agreements between Iraq and the U.S. abound.)

We fly through the crowded streets of Baghdad, but never get out to talk to anyone. We see brightly colored generators being sold on sidewalks, long-toed shoes stacked fashionably on top of their boxes. Women in western looking clothes. Men try to stare through the tinted glass at us as if we are important or evil. We cannot take pictures. We are on our way to a compound sealed by concrete t-walls.

U.S. Military Intelligence and Civil Affairs often conduct street interviews and write "atmospherics reports" based on what the average Iraqi will say through an interpreter to an American standing in front of them with a slung machine gun and body armor. For more important information the military can take their pick out of thousands of "paid" informants, such as Sons of Iraq, although the intelligence might just as well serve to "throw the wolves" on a rival sheik's group. Not so different from beliefs on how the Central Government officials play the Americans here."
IN-iraq