1) How and when did you come across Informed Comment?

Answer 1: Shortly after the invasion of Iraq. I read about IC in a print 
source, although I don't remember which one.

Answer 2: A girl blog from Iraq  "Bagdad Burning" which I found in a magazine 
over two years ago.

Answer 3: During the runup to the 2004 Presidential election I was reading 
anything I could find that would help predict the outcome of the 
election.  I felt burned in 2000 and I don't like surprises.  Juan 
Coles website was often quoted or referred to or linked to.  I don't 
remember when I started reading it but it was probably in the summer 
of 2004.

Answer 4: a link
six plus months ago

Answer 5: I searched the internet for voices of reason and truth.

Answer 6: Perhaps six months ago.  Can't remember what the source of information was.

Answer 7: I was referred to it by a relative who knew of my interest and 
expertise in the Middle East in the Spring of 2004. My only regret is 
that I missed the first two years of it.

Answer 8: I believe I heard it mentioned on NPR.

Answer 9: Other references in the blogosphere.  When people link to good stuff, 
I go read it.  Eventually I added IC to my regularly-read list of 
blogs.

Answer 10: Professor Derluguian [Northwestern University] recommended the site.

Answer 11: Dan Fromkin's White House News Blog at the Washingtonpost.com

Answer 12: As a link from David Sirota's blog

Answer 13: I believe I saw a reference to it in a major media news story.

Answer 14: A friend sent a link about Informed Comment to a email list (of my 
local community) I belong to in the lead up to the war.

Answer 15: I saw Juan Cole on C-Span.  I have been reading him every day since.

Answer 16: Followed a link to it, probably from Moveon.org or some site like that.

Answer 17: While I was informing myself of the American foreign policy issues 
before the second Gulf War, I came across his views a few times.

Answer 18: I saw a link to his site once when reading about  Daniel Pipes.

Answer 19: i became aware of dr cole through links on atrios, kos, and other news blogs

Answer 20: after september 11, 2001.  i linked from a comment on thismodernworld.com.

Answer 21: Surfing the net

Answer 22: Approximately 6 months or so ago.  I had read many of Mr. Cole's 
articles through Common Dreams, truthout.org, etc., and his extensive 
expertise in issues related to the Middle East and Iraq framed the 
issues there in their appropriate context.

Answer 23: Probably about 9 months ago I followed a link from truthout.org to Cole's site.

Answer 24: two or so years ago. someone mentioned it to me.

Answer 25: 15 months ago in following a link from daily kos

Answer 26: about a year and a half ago, through dailykos

Answer 27: I found it linked at another blog about 18-24 months ago.

Answer 28: donot rember

Answer 29: Through another blog

Answer 30: I came across Informed Comment via other blogs.

Answer 31: I can't remember, it was over a year ago.

Answer 32: Link from another blog - I forget which - about 15 months ago.

Answer 33: I followed a link from Crooked Timber.

Answer 34: I just cannot remember. I have been very interested in the atmosphere 
surrounding the Iraq misadventure and came to Cole quite early,

Answer 35: I forget.  Someone pointed to a post.

Answer 36: I linked to it from an article in Commondreams.org

Answer 37: I attended a New America Foundation two day seminar in DC, under 
auspices of Steven Clemons, and appreciated Professor Coles remarks 
there.  I am a private practice psychiatrist with an increasing 
concern over American politics so Dr. Cole's website was added to my 
list of l0 or so daily stops.

Answer 38: I heard you on Democracy Now.

Answer 39: About six months ago -- do not recall, but from some other Internet source.

Answer 40: I saw Juan Cole on the Newshour; he seemed thoroughly informed, spoke 
with an unusual respect for language, appeared alert to apparent and 
nuanced distinctions, and was forthright in agreement and 
disagreement. I think Informed Comment was referred to on another 
blog as Juan Cole's, and I've been reading it since.

Answer 41: as a student of dr. cole's years ago

Answer 42: I found it a few years ago via a link from somewhere else...can't say 
exactly when or where.

Answer 43:     Reports that your commentary was balanced and reliablel

Answer 44: By seeing Juan Cole mentioned in one of Tom Engelhardt's early 
postings at www.tomdispatch.com

Answer 45: Watch the Leher Report

Answer 46: I saw the author on a television news show where he was introduced 
with a mention of his blog.

Answer 47: Josh Marshall

Answer 48: I don't recall but it was either recommended by another site or I 
googled Iraq war.

Answer 49: Link on salon.com

Answer 50: I first came across Informed comment by way of a link at Truth or 
dailykos both sites i read often and would recommend to others.

Answer 51: 3 months ago I followed a link from another blogger's site.

Answer 52: I don't know, but I believe that it was a couple of years ago. 
Probably a link from Eschaton or Daily Kos

Answer 53: Maybe 4 years ago? Absolutely no idea how I stumbled on it.

Answer 54: Heard an excellent interview with Juan on TV.

Answer 55: It seems like I've known it forever, but thatcan't be true.  Maybe 
I've been reading for a year and a half or so.

Answer 56: About a year ago.

Answer 57: I actually bookmarked the site but hadn't paid much attention to it 
until Asia Times (Atimes.com) published an interview with Juan Cole. 
Now I refer to his comments at least two to three times a week. I 
think I first learned about the site from Riverbend, whose blog I 
read all the time.

Answer 58: About 2 years ago when I first discovered 'blogs' I sampled a few new 
ones everyday. Juan was one I liked so put in my 'favorites' list

Answer 59: I do not remember the precise site but I found Dr. Cole through a 
link in a comment.  This would have been around late 2001 - early 
2002.

Answer 60: It was a little after Sept11 and I was looking for more information 
on what was going on regarding these events. I am not sure now how I 
came accross the Informed Comment website though.

Answer 61: I found Informed Comment through a Google search doing research on 
Arabic culture and history.

Answer 62: a link from Riverbend's Baghdad Burning blog.

Answer 63: Hard to recall.   I knew Juan's name from his appearances on Lehrer News Hour.

Answer 64: Saw Juan Cole before Congress and when his article was highlighted on 
Anti-War.com or the Electronic Intifada and took a look, since I 
believed anyone testifying before Congress had to be regarded as a 
source with greater understanding that the alternative media might 
have on the ME.

Answer 65: Link from Riverbend's site

Answer 66: I found his comments on "The News Hour" and elsewhere to be 
informative, and did a web search hoping to find a blog and...~ voila!

Answer 67: read of it in the press and heard of it from friends

Answer 68: linked from another blog

Answer 69: I can't remember, probably a link from Talking Points Memo.

Answer 70: internet comentation

Answer 71: During the last US-Iraq war
I can't remember exactly the links, but possibly through the Guardian website

Answer 72: Possibly through Salam Pax or other cross-citations.  It has been a 
while.  I'm fairly sure that it was before we invaded Iraq.

Answer 73: I no longer remenber how I came across the site, but iirc it was 
during the run-up to the war.

Answer 74: air america-link tv-democracy now
substancial mention of jc on other blogs news outlets and various liberal media

Answer 75: Friend referred me two years ago.

Answer 76: Through the Riverbend blog. Some time ago, a year or 2, I dont remember

Answer 77: Don't remember.  Perhaps I first saw it mentioned in Salam Pax's blog.

Answer 78: thru the comment section on billmon, back when he used to have one, 
then moon of alabama.

Answer 79: Within the past 2 months.  It was referred to on someone else's Blog.

Answer 80: Swapping links with friends, and web searching.

Answer 81: I am a regular reader of Altercation, by Eric Alterman at MSNBC.com, 
and after clicking on the link he posted there (months ago--maybe 
even a year ago) directing me to Informed Comment, I became a regular 
reader at juancole.com as well.

Answer 82: dailykos link

Answer 83: I linked through from other sites, Wolcott comes to mind.

Answer 84: runup to the war, referenced by other bloggers (matthew yglesias or 
billmon) as an expert in the middle east

Answer 85: I found Dr Cole's site linked from another site (I don't remember 
which, now), which referenced his analysis on Iraq.  I suspect that 
I've been folloing his site regularly for about 9 months.

Answer 86: I really have no idea, though I suspect if was by a link from Talking 
Points Memo.

Answer 87: Through a wacky-conspiracy theory-loaded web site called Sign of the Times

Answer 88: I can't remember.  Perhaps it was a reference from the "Anti-war" blog.

Answer 89: Link from DailyKos.com

Answer 90: 2003

Answer 91: Actually, I forget.  Probably via another blog, or linked from a news article.

Answer 92: I learned of IC aout a year to a year and a half ago either though a 
link (maybe Brad DeLong?) or reading a comment of Professor Cole in 
hard copy media and went to his site.

Answer 93: I began to read it in 2002 as the Bush administration began their 
race to war in Iraq

Answer 94: It was during the build up to the current Iraq war.  I was desparate 
for other voices, other than the main stream media which were so 
shallow and misleading.  I wanted to be educated.  I think I came 
across Juan Cole through either, Dailykos, Talkingpointsmemo or 
Democracy Now.  All of those sites, I came across through my web 
reading.  Either through other sites linking or mainstream media 
citings.

Answer 95: recommendation from a friend

Answer 96:  From a link on the "Baghdad Burning" blog.

Answer 97: I was principly concerned about main stream media coverage of the war 
in Iraq and needed a better source of information. I think I checked 
the blog of "Where is Raed" and there was a link to Juan Cole's blog.

Answer 98: I started reading, and ocassionally commenting on, Juan's comments 
almost two year's ago after seeing positive referrals to it in news 
items and commentaries.

Answer 99: I first came across Informed Comment about two years ago.  I followed 
a link from a blog, "Gaghdaf Burning", by Riverbend.

Answer 100: probably a link from another site / blog. i cannot remember. this is 
the curious thing about the internet / web / sites / blogosphere - an 
amnesia forms - again, my discovery of IC had to be around the time 
of the oil stealing amerikan invasion of Iraq.

Answer 101: repeatably saw links to his page on agonist.org and other pages.

Answer 102: Can no longer remember

Answer 103: Through a friend at Harvard University.

Answer 104: I was a poster on a forum  by Independed .co.uk . Someone mentioned 
juancole blog there in early months of 2004.

Answer 105: I saw it had won a Koufax award and I checked it out.

Answer 106: About 2 years ago from a friend who was reading l;him.

Answer 107: About a year ago, it was recommended by a friend.

Answer 108: google or link in kuro5hin.org, can't remember correctly

Answer 109: I had seen it recommended for some time from various places 
(Riverbend's blog, Jon Carroll of sfgate.com). I think I've been 
reading it for a couple of years, but don't really remember when I 
started.

Answer 110: Several months ago as the result of a link from another site, 
probably Josh Marshall's.

Answer 111: I honestly don't remember. Obviously from a link.

Answer 112: It was linked from another blog I read.

Answer 113: Google January 2003

Answer 114: Referral from another blog

Answer 115: I think I found him shortly before the invasion of Iraq, and of 
course bookmarked him immediately.

Answer 116: After hearing your name on a radio show, in 2002, I beleive

Answer 117: bbc.co.uk

Answer 118: It was referenced in the MSM articles I read.

Answer 119:  From war in context

Answer 120: I came across Juan Cole in two venues almost simultaneously: he 
appeared on Charlie Rose, and Talkingpointsmemo.com had a link to his 
blog. I am not certain which came first.

Answer 121: I think I began reading Juan Cole shortly after the invasion of Iraq. 
I came across his blog through a link from another blog, possibly 
Helena Cobban's justworldnews.

Answer 122: mid-2004

Answer 123: Probably two years ago, I am not sure.  I believe it was a reference 
in an article in The Nation.

Answer 124: Not sure any more.  Probably a link from The Leiter Reports or dKOS.

Answer 125: Saw Cole quoted on Iraq at another site and looked up Informed Comment

Answer 126: just after the start of the Iraq war via a link from another blog

Answer 127: An Iraqi friend told me about it about a year and a half ago.

Answer 128: A friend sent me a link.

Answer 129: I was referred to it by a politics junkie I met on vacation in 
Boston, Septemeber last.  Let me say as well I read blogs very seldom 
before then, and read them very often since.

Answer 130: Via other online journalers, a few years ago.

Answer 131: Through www.washingtonmonthly.com.  Kevin Drum recommended him in one 
of his blog entries.

Answer 132: 2 years ago as other bloggers linked to him

Answer 133: A link to it from some other news website -- possibly Mickey Klaus' blog.

Answer 134: Linked from another blog during 2nd Iraq War....not exactly sure of date.

Answer 135: sometime around invasion of Iraq I guess
friend interested in ME sent email around to other friends so 
interested with url

Answer 136: I believe I found Juan Cole before we invaded...I think it was a link 
from Information Clearing House.

Answer 137: Several years ago, I followed a link from Slate.com to the site.

Answer 138: I'm not completely sure whether I found it mentioned on another blog 
or if I was referred by a friend who encountered it, but it was back 
in 2002.

Answer 139: About a year ago.  How? -- I don't remember.

Answer 140: I can't remember anymore. A recommendation from a friend??

Answer 141: Live in Ann Arbor and have heard Juan Cole speak.  He mentioned the 
blog and I immediately got on the list.

Answer 142: I found Informed Comment in 2002 as I was searching for pages 
containing the term "neocon."

Answer 143: After the "shock and awe" phase of the Iraq invasion, blogger Josh 
Marshall mentioned Cole as the single best source of info regarding 
the war. (I think that's how he phrased it)

Answer 144: Don't really remember - probably a link from another blog.

Answer 145: In Baghdad where I worked as NGO Coordinator and Capicity Builder for 
the Coalition Provisional Authority, the US led occupational 
governors of Iraq. It is the best blog on the war and was rec to me 
by colleuges and journalists.

Answer 146: Referenced by another blog, approximately 2 years ago.

Answer 147: Couple years ago?  Perhaps via Salon?

Answer 148: I think it was a link in Baghdad Burning

Answer 149: cannot remember--at least 2 yrs ago

Answer 150: Linked from somewhere, maybe even Google News

Answer 151: I have known Juan Cole for nearly a decade (as a 
scholar and as an internet acquaintance who has 
encouraged me in my own scholarly and spiritual 
life), and have over the years made it a habit to 
check up on what he is doing.  I found a link to 
?informed comment? from some other web page of 
his.

Answer 152: I don't remember. I'm a smart person with too much time on her hands 
& I troll around the Internet a lot looking for good material. Or 
perhaps it was because he appeared on democracynow.org?

Answer 153: Link from another weblog - Crooked Timber I think.

Answer 154: Occasional references and/or links to Informed Comment at other 
favotrite sites (e.g., antiwar.com, buzzflash.com, 
talkingpointsmemo.com), 1 or 2 interviews of Cole on TV, and 
references to his expert opinion/testimony by others in various media 
(TV, radio, print and web).

Answer 155: Pre Iraq war - In london - searching for information as the media 
seemed to have doubtful information - searching on some blogs found 
informed comment through Atrios Eschaton  / Billmon / Dailykos - they 
were main reads cannot remember who directed me to Juan Cole.

Answer 156: Online somewhere-don't exactly recall

Answer 157: Looking for a different point of view from the mainstream media about 
Iraq and the rest of the middle east.

Answer 158: I don't remember how. It was more than a year ago.

Answer 159: Foundit in a link from another blog

Answer 160: Democracy Now (democracynow.org)

Answer 161: Over a year ago, in a link from another major blog.  Brad DeLong, possibly.

Answer 162: I don't remember.

Answer 163: Link from another website

Answer 164: Saw it mentioned on Crooksandliars.com.

Answer 165: I followed a link on BuzzFlash

Answer 166: as a link from another politically and socially progressive website

Answer 167: A  year or so again got a link from  a Juan Cole article on another 
site  and was looking for someone from that part of the world who was 
giiving objective analysis

Answer 168: Don't remember how.  Started reading it about a year ago

Answer 169: I became aware about 2 years ago, from a reference to it on another blog.

Answer 170: Sometime in the last couple of years.  I no longer remember how I 
found it, but most probably a link.  I started checking Google News 
and gradually changed to reading blogs and the articles they point to 
for much of my news.

Answer 171: I have been reading there for about two years. I don't recall how I 
arrived there, but I am better informed for the experience.

Answer 172:  From a news site.

Answer 173: Linked to Informed Comment ,on another site ... Now on my favorites lists

Answer 174: Two years ago. Krugman mentioned IC in one his NYT columns.

Answer 175: i read an article in which he was quoted.  He seemed to be 
knowledgeable about Arab and Middle East topics.

Answer 176: I don't really remember

Answer 177: Through History News Network website

Answer 178: Quite early in the Iraq conflict when dissatified by the standard 
sources of information (TV and newspapers) and looking for 
alternative sources of news and information. (At that time mainly 
looking for Iraqi blogs)

Answer 179: If I recall correctly, I came across IC by a link to the blog cited 
on a message board.

Answer 180: from a link on Whatreallyhappened.com

Answer 181: referred to by someone on the net

Answer 182: Six months ago I was linked to him from another site...maybe 
antiwar.com or whatreallyhappened.com.  I can't really remember as I 
visit so many sites.

Answer 183: A political colleague passed on an article by Juan Cole about what 
the Iraq situation equivalent would be like if it were in the USA.  I 
thought it was so good I went to some effort to track it down and 
find out more.

Answer 184: Probably through a link from another site.

Answer 185: I think I first heard of Juan Cole's IC on a broadcast of 'Democracy 
Now" at least 2 years ago. I have read him daily since then.

Answer 186: It was probably about a year or 18 months ago that I first read 
Informed Comment, but I'm not sure how I found it.

Answer 187: Reading another blog, around the time of the build up to invade Iraw 
for the second time, I came across a reference to Prof. Cole's blog. 
After reading a few times I became a regualr subscriber through RSS.

Answer 188: Pure luck on the internet

Answer 189: I live in Denmark. I heard about Informed Comment in the Danish 
Public Radio about 2 years ago. I have read it daily ever since.

Answer 190: I began reading Informed Comment in 2003. A friend told me about it.

Answer 191: It feels like a couple years ago - it was probably referenced by another blog.

Answer 192:  From info on the Counter Punch

Answer 193: Democracy Now

Answer 194: I don not remember how.  I look at a lot of news and comment websites 
and blogs so I was most likely directed toward Informed Comment by 
one of them i.e. commondreams.org or antiwar.com.
It happened about one year ago.

Answer 195: At the end of 2003, via a link from Talking Points Memo

Answer 196: How I came acroos IC I cant recall but probably by a reference in the 
online-press. I started reading IC in the beginning of 03.

Answer 197: Reading Baghdad Burning.  After googling for Baghdad

Answer 198: The site was mentioned on the Op-Ed page of the Washington Post 
several years ago. I added it to my list of must read sites at that 
time.

Answer 199: ages ago. at least a year. via Kos I think.

Answer 200: A link from another journalism/Iraq blog, I forget which -- probably 
c18 months ago.

Answer 201: I heard Juan speak  on PBS  and was impressed by his insight. A 
google search revealed his blog.

Answer 202: ny times

Answer 203: Juan Cole was a guest on the Pacifica radio program "Democracy Now" 
several years ago, and his insightful comments on the show led me to 
check out his blog.

Answer 204: I've been reading "Informed Comment" for about a year now.

Answer 205: I can't remeber exactly, but most likely through another blogger.

Answer 206: Since the Iraq invasion I refuse to read even one page of the 
socalled mainstream media!, or watch TV news programs!

Answer 207: early 2004

Answer 208: I followed a link from Salon.com.

Answer 209: about 18 months ago - I started to read Informed Comment on a daily 
basis. Heard about it from my husband.

Answer 210: I don't remember how.  I have been a daily reader of Juan Cole since 
very shortly after he began Informed Consent.

Answer 211: I am a friend of Juan's and publisher of his translations of Kahlil 
Gibran. I have followed Juan's work since 1980 and have followed 
Informed Comment since its inception.

Answer 212: Through another blogger. I forget which.

Answer 213: I'm an avid reader of the news, esp middle east news and just came 
across the blog one day, i don't remember exactly how.  this was 
about 2 years ago.

Answer 214: saw him on jim lehrer news hour.  sounded  sensible. i'm a bit of a 
nut when it comes to the internet and thought to google him after 
listening to his comments to find out more about him.

Answer 215: I learned of it from another blog, probably Talking Points Memo by 
Josh Marshall

Answer 216: a link from another blog

Answer 217: I cannot remember, exactly; it was a couple of years ago.  I think it 
was linked in an article at Salon.com

Answer 218: I cannot remember, exactly; it was a couple of years ago.  I think it 
was linked in an article at Salon.com

Answer 219: A link from another news source on Middle East; maybe Occupationwatch.org

Answer 220: over 2 years ago. He was listed in J. Marshall's Talking points memo blog

Answer 221: the kofax award

Answer 222: Via a link from another site (probably Daily Kos) around 2-3 years ago

Answer 223: probabaly by reference to the blog by another web site. It wasearly 
in the Iraq "War" run up.

Answer 224: Probably through atrios but shortly thereafter I saw Juan Cole 
lecture at Harvard.

Answer 225: I think about a year ago, through links from other bloggers.

Answer 226: It feels like a couple years ago - it was probably referenced by another blog.

Answer 227: googled "juan cole"

Answer 228: Via Antiwar.com about year and half ago.

Answer 229: A couple of months ago I found a link from C-Span

Answer 230: Roughly a year ago, found through a link somewhere (can't remember which site).

Answer 231: He was interviewed on PBS & NPR, so I looked up his web site.

Answer 232: I saw it referenced in many other publications and it was recommended 
to me by friends. I became a regular reader in the Spring of 2004 and 
have continued ever since.

Answer 233: I found it about two years ago on Josh Marshall's blogroll at 
Talkingpointsmemo.com.

2) Can you explain why you became a regular reader of Informed Comment?

Answer 1: Dr. Cole provides run-downs of other news sources, often in the 
Arabic language press. That was why I originally came to the site. He 
has a sophisticated understanding of Iraqi domestic politics which is 
lacking in most analysis I read. Honestly, his politics agree with 
mine too, in general.

Answer 2: It offered insight available from no other source.  I read his input 
daily.  Many times sharing it with other interested people

Answer 3: I come from a family  (three generations) of University of Michigan 
graduates.  I know the quality of instruction at UofM.  But as I read 
Professor Cole over time I came to trust his expertise and judgment.

Answer 4: expertise of Cole
my perception of the balance of Cole's posts
his references to the processes of his blogging and thoughts and his 
invited or accepted guests

Answer 5: Mainstream media offers "propaganda" and shallow comments as well as 
information serving vested interests. I found it was necessary to 
search the media worldwide as well as voices such as Juan Cole.
I am in Australia and Juan is in America.

Answer 6: Cole seems very knowledgeable about Iraq and perceptive about the US 
foreign policy making process.  He provides easy links to critical 
articles in a wide variety of papers, many of which I would otherwise 
miss.   He is particularly good at coverage of Reuters, several 
British newspapers, and the Knight-Ridder papers.  He is also not 
fearful to speak out about the nature of Israeli politics and the 
linkages to key figures in the Bush administration.

Answer 7: I have been a student of the Middle East since 1978 when I had a 
formal assignment as an international political analyst for two years 
at Citibank during the second energy crisis. I helped start a Middle 
East anaysis program in 1979 that met monthly eleven months of the 
year which lasted until the early 1990s. As a result we spent well 
over a hundred and twenty cocktail hour/dinner meetings lasting four 
hours each with politicians, military staff, academics and 
journalists from every country in the area.  Readings included over 
forty books. A trip through the area was part of the program in 1981. 
As a result  I developed a more than passing understanding of the 
issues and personalities of the area. When I had read Informed 
Comment for about a month, I realized that Professor Cole had an 
uncommon, profound understanding of the area. I have not missed a 
single posting since, and have read well more than half of the 
hyperlinks. The service Professor Cole has been providing acade
  mics and politicians is unparalleled in my opinion. Future 
historians will be extremely grateful for the material he has sourced 
and the internet will have preserved. His opinion pieces are 
extremely well-informed and soundly reasoned. He tolerates and indeed 
encourages the opinions of others. (I met him through the internet 
and have had the pleasure of dining with him twice (soon to be 
thrice)).

Answer 8: Academic insight that sheds light on the political, cultural and 
social ramifications of US foreign policy in the middle east is 
invaluable when all the media gives us is political spin.  That and I 
have a good friend who holds a PHD in Anthropology from U Mich.

Answer 9: Clear writing.  Easy to scan quickly if I'm in a rush.  Refreshing 
point of view that is not easy to find in American media.  Educated 
perspective.

Answer 10: Fascination with operations in Iraq, partly due to father's 
involvement as enlisted soldier.

Answer 11: I studied Mid East history and had read a couple of Juan Cole's books 
as an undergrad which were excellent.  I value his academic 
credentials and scholarship.   I'm also slightly obsessed with the 
misguided rational for the Iraq war, the flawed post war planning and 
all its many implications.  Informed Comment highlights news, blogs 
and opionions I might otherwise not search down and provides good 
analysis.

Answer 12: Because he explains in a clear and concise matter, the complexity of 
the religous and ethnic conflicts that exist in Iraq. This 
information is in greater depth than that which is published in the 
mainstream media.

Answer 13: Cole seems to know what he is talking about--understands Arabic for 
one thing--and culls information from a variety of source that are 
not readily available.

Answer 14: It talked about things in detail, and provided a broader perspective 
on US and Iraqi's actions that I did not get in the headline articles.

Answer 15: I like being informed by someone who really knows the issues, the 
Middle East, and who shares my feelings about the way politics are 
headed in this country.  Every day I look forward to reading the 
things he shares and getting his perspective on things in the news 
for that day.

Answer 16: What Mr. Cole has to say makes sense and he seems very knowledgeable; 
especially as to how things may look to people living in the Middle 
East. It's possible there are other equally or better informed 
"arabists" or whatever, but I haven't seen their blogs yet.

Answer 17: In all the jingoistic self-congratulatory "I-told-you-so" pro-war 
rhetoric that immediately followed the invasion and occupation, his 
blog was one of the few that maintained an intelligent, and, well, 
informed outlook.

Answer 18: Prof. Cole is a needed voice of reason about an area of the world of 
which I have some knowlwdge, the Middle East . I was also angry about 
Campus Watch activities.

Answer 19: i dont know of any other web coverage of hard news and analysis on 
the middle east in general and iraq in particular

Answer 20: i felt like his site was a good source for up to date information on 
the region.  i appreciate the historical context mr. cole can give to 
current events.  also, i agreed in the build-up to the war that we 
should not go.

Answer 21: As a two-tour Viet Nam veteran I am well aware of the lies, 
innuendos, and secrecy of the federal govt.  Felt Juan gave me the 
truth as he sees it.

Answer 22: Again, the framing the issues in their appropriate context and the 
depth of Mr. Cole's knowledge.

Answer 23: His knowledge and insight into the politics of the Middle East are 
excellent. His writing is concise, objective, and supported with 
facts.

Answer 24: because it speaks in a clear, non academic voice but it reflects the 
rigor of the academy.. this combination is a winning 
combination...!!!!

Answer 25: I felt that Dr Cole was an informed expert in thins Islamic and 
needed a counter to MSM and my own reading of Rubin, Pipes et. al.

Answer 26: Prof. Cole is very intelligent and I agree with most of his opinions 
concerning the Iraq War. This is THE site to go to for a good 
analysis of the war.

Answer 27: I was pleased to find a regularly updated source of information and 
analysis about Islam and the Iraq war that was often deeper than the 
press.

Answer 28: i feel the regular media is disorted in its reporting in Iraq. I 
donto read it for national news just Iraq

Answer 29: The quality of teh selctions posted and the insight that accompanies 
the selections

Answer 30:   I was sick of reading very superficial or absurd descriptions of 
people in the Middle East, Juan Cole seemed very different. He 
described political matters in very human terms and I learned a lot 
about the Middle East on my frist read.

Answer 31: I appreciate reading daily commentary by a person that is 
well-informed on the subject, in this case it is the Middle East.
Key words--- daily and well-informed.

Answer 32: Facts were presented which regularly seemed to illuminate world events.

Answer 33: Unlike the vast majority of talking heads, Cole actually reads and 
speaks Arabic.

Answer 34: and found it very good for its level of detail, insight, level 
headedness, civility and humane values.

Answer 35: Accuracy.
I like the daily update on Iraq.

Answer 36: I found him interesting as a person and share an interest in 
Unitarianism. I soon realized he offered a great depth of 
understanding of Iraq, being academically  knowledgeable of Shia 
Islam, being able to speak Arabic and having lived in the Middle East.

Answer 37: see agove

Answer 38: I realized that you are an expert in the Middle East and that you 
have sound judgement. I was especially impressed with your ideas 
about how we could get out of Iraq and leave the least amount of 
chaos behind.

Answer 39: Its combination of news summary (mainstream and not-so-mainstream 
media) and analysis.

Answer 40: Because the man's reporting is knowledgeable, his commenting intelligent.
He names his sources, links to some, bases his opinions on the most 
accurate information available to him, and communicates as though 
we're all in this together, as though he has a duty of care to see 
that his information is solid, for both himself and us, and uses 
language to inform us that befits the truth.

Answer 41: see above

Answer 42: First, I appreciated that he knew more about the culture of the 
middle east, the factions, the names, the long-time grudges....I 
learned from him. Then I saw that Cole had the expertise and courage 
to respond to assertions by certain right wingers. I was happy to see 
someone "fight back" against all the propaganda.

Answer 43:   Your background and comments for the most part  came from Arab 
sources  and I feel that the Arab  positions  were misunderstood and 
distortedby most media sources in English

Answer 44: I consider Juan Cole the best source of accurate information on the 
Middle East. For instance, when some document in Arabic is 
"translated" by someone in the Bush administration, Juan Cole has the 
language skills to either correct or confirm the official translation.

Answer 45: I value his insight, his knowledge of the region and the people.

Answer 46: Prof. Cole pulls together a lot of information and commentary that I 
would not otherwise encounter, and ties it up with his own thoughts. 
It's basically a daily op-ed on a very interesting subject.

Answer 47: It provides insightful analysis of the situation in the mideast.

Answer 48: It is the most rational and informative site on Iraq. I learn all 
sorts of things I would never have known if it weren't for Juan Cole. 
Moreover, I don't have to wade through a lot unlabelled surmise and 
empty opining that is so prevalent on the internet. The information 
to noise ratio must be one of the highest on the internet.

Answer 49: It appeared to give an accurate picture of what was going on in Iraq 
and it was easy to separate comment from bare facts. Additionally, it 
pulled together material from various sources.

Answer 50: I can try. If you can read and understand what is intended as 
reporting in important events often region specific and without 
obvious (sponsor specific) bias as you find with corporate placed 
information then you are able to learn commercial free. Also Mr. Cole 
has good thoughts and a great reputation among other Blogs of note.

Answer 51: Juan Cole is an informed scholar at a prestigious university. That 
made me interested in his views. In addition to his academic 
credentials, over time I observed that his blog is very informative, 
too.

Answer 52: It is the only place I can get informed intelligent information on 
what is going on in Iraq and, to a lesser extent, the middle east.

Answer 53: Cole is the best informed source I can find on these issues. He's 
also articulate and only very occasionally pontificates on subects he 
doesn't know much about (like wind-generated electricty), or indulges 
in gratuitous insults of public figures (even though they may deserve 
it).  I've heard Bernard Lewis speak, and read many of his books, and 
frankly i find Cole to be much more insightful about current events 
in the Islamic world.

Answer 54: Best source of news on the Middle East.

Answer 55: Juan Cole offers thoughtful and apparently well-researched analysis 
of issues about Iraq and the Middle East as well as links to sources 
that I might not have otherwise found.  I originally came across his 
column by reading cursor.org.

Answer 56: The information Prof. Cole gives is usaully more indepth and more 
acurate than the MSM.

Answer 57: I've been a news junkie since I was a little boy and listened to the 
radio. As a part-time journalist, who mainly covers sports and 
regional business, I'm appalled at what our corporate news outlets 
have become. As a result I go to the net, like I used to use short 
wave, to get the news.

Answer 58: Knowledgeable, interesting,...not a lot of irrelavent material.

Answer 59: I am a daily reader as I appreciate straight, direct news from a very 
knowlegable source who writes well.

Answer 60: Information and comments not avail through 'regular' sources. I like 
the summary of events from arabic sources and find Juan Coles 
insiteful commentary on events as relating to how they can be 
perceived in their cultural context invalueable. He 'reads between 
the lines' and this makes you think more about the situation. 
Realistic comments not media propaganda.

Answer 61: Professor Cole offers thoughtful commentary on a subject in which I 
have an interest, and some practical experience, but little formal 
training.

Answer 62: Because his insight into Middle Eastern current affairs and history 
seems to be the most "informed" if you will. Also his linking of 
foreign news services has proven to be invaluable.

Answer 63: Chance to hear from a real expert, as opposed to the lack of depth 
from other media.

Answer 64: Because it is very hard to find objective well informed comment on 
issues in Iraq in specific and the middle east in General - bravo to 
Prof. Cole for his efforts to educate those not able to attend class.

Answer 65: Juan Cole is an expert Arabist whose news and insights I trust about 
matters Iraqui.  He's a necessary antidote to the dissembling 
government propaganda we see all around us in national news media.

Answer 66: Juan's insight into the historically fascinating foreign policy 
blunders our national leaders have dragged us in to, (Iraq in 
particular), and  the relevant web links he provides.

Answer 67: it's the best source of timely info and analysis on a topic i am very 
interested in, though not an expert on; I value Cole's expertise.

Answer 68: insightful, detailed konwledge of midlle eastern affairs, esp Iraq.

Answer 69: I needed some kind of foil for the drivel coming from the MSM on Iraq.

Answer 70: Reasons I have are strong:
Least error free.
Information not available elsewhere, at least not TV or newspapers.
Cole appears as truthful.
Timeliness.

Answer 71: I have experience of the Middle East and appreciate so much somoen 
who knows a lot about the Iraqi and other sides and puts the insider 
information in fron of us.

Answer 72: I may not agree with his conclusions, but appreciate the way he 
approaches the various problems.

Answer 73: I spent time in the Middle East when I was in the service. The 
commentary on Informed Comment  match things I had seen or learned in 
the past.  It was a rare site that provided an (educated) American 
view point with the knowledge base of a Middle Easten subject matter 
expert.

Answer 74: My interest comes from wanting accurat information as well as 
intelligent discourse about the islamic  ideoligy, attitude toward 
the us, and the real potential effect of our foreign policy.

Answer 75: I was a soldier in Iraq and wanted real news about what was going on.

Answer 76: Informed comment gives alternative information in respect to the msn. 
Informed comment provides ezcellent links to informative news 
articles and other information.

Answer 77: Because it is, indeed, **informed**

Answer 78: i trust his opinions

Answer 79: It is uniquely well written and with information that I have been 
unable to find elsewhere.

Answer 80: I know of no better academic source of a Middle East perspective.
Juan Cole is providing a service that has no profit seeking,  or 
ego-centred agenda.

Answer 81: I have read ahead a bit on your questionnaire, so I can see that the 
next question gets at why I am a regular reader a bit more than does 
this question.

Answer 82: independent (non-corporate media). scholar. no financial interest in 
goings on (i.e. middle east, war, oil industry,  defense industry, US 
armed forces). there is neither national media outlet nor government 
entity of which that can be said. hence: trustworthiness.

Answer 83: I think that when Cole was being discussed by friends in social 
settings, that's when I began reading everyday, or nearly so.
I was opposed to the war, but when it seemed clear how badly it was 
turning out, but so little reporting about the context of the failure 
Informed Comment seemed essential.

Answer 84: best window into the the arab world and particularly the interplay of 
the different communities

Answer 85: I value Dr. Cole's clarity, insight, and academic honesty.

Answer 86: I have just developed tremendous respect for Juan's comments and 
perspective.  Candidly, I skim through the bulk of his comments 
because they address what for me is uninteresting details about the 
Irag occupation.  But they're nonetheless important to me as they've 
established his credibility for me.  But what I read him for is his 
comments on national politics.  In this era of corporate-owned media 
effectively reined in by this administration and conservative, 
self-serving management, it is refreshing to see him "tell it like it 
is." It's nice to see him call the bastards bastards.

Answer 87: To be informed.

Answer 88: Cole gives every evidence of knowing what he is talking about.  Quite 
refreshing.

Answer 89: Because the site provides detailed information about the various 
political and religious factions in Iraq, which are not clearly 
distinguished in other news sources, because it provides summaries of 
stories in Arabic news sources, and because it changes daily, which 
keeps me coming back nearly daily.

Answer 90: Prof. Cole is one of the most authoritative voices on the Middle East 
in the U.S.

Answer 91: I was interested in what's going on in the middle east, in a kind of 
rubbernecking at car-crashes kind of way.

Answer 92: For the wealth of information, the use (and linkage to) sources 
unavailable elsewhere and the true expertise Professor Cole brings to 
his analysis.

Answer 93: I am a specialist on the region of the MIddle East.  I teach the 
history of the Islamic world in particular.  I also recognized that 
the mainstream media sources were not reporting accurately about the 
region in the run-up to the war, and realized I was going to need 
alternate sources of information if I wanted to really understand or 
know what was going on.

Answer 94: Juan Cole is a good writer, which I think is key.  However, it was 
also his patience.  He took time to explain in elementary terms what 
the meaning of the daily news meant.  I didn't get the sense that he 
had an agenda other than one that comes from understanding, 
experience and historical perspective.  He helped me put into a 
context what the possible multiple meanings and outcomes could be 
from our country's (government's) and other countries choices could 
mean.  It was crucial to me and very comforting.  It wasn't good 
news, but at least I felt I could begin to understand what we were 
doing.

Answer 95: Professional reasons

Answer 96: Knowledgeable commentary.

Answer 97: There are too much information on the web, both valuable and useless.
Juan Cole is a very efficient source of information. He is an expert 
who scans, filters and concisely present information in a timely 
manner along with valuable commentaries that put matters in 
perspective. As a custmer, I can choose if I want to learn more about 
a subject by going after a link.

Answer 98: He was one of the few that explained the issues surrounding Iraq from 
an historical viewpoint without reading like the typical talking head 
on TV or the unbelievable commentaries in most newspapers and 
magazines.

Answer 99: Informed cComment reports events, with commentary that puts the 
events into historical perspective. This adds a depth to the story, 
which is missing in the main stream media.

Answer 100: Prof. Cole offers a look at a world that i know nothing about and has 
provided numerous and bountiful insights.

Answer 101: well, I consider the Iraq to be an important topic these days and saw 
that he gives good summaries of what is happening, his oppinion is 
usually well regarded.

Answer 102: Wish to be kept informed about progress of the Iraq war. Informed 
Comment provides both a news round-up and comment, so provides a 
single stop for this.

Answer 103: Exellent analysis and commentary. Very knowledgeable on Middle East 
and Islamic World affairs. Balanced and insightful. Welcoming of 
comments and criticisms from readers.

Answer 104: his indepth knowledge of the Middle east history and culture .

Answer 105: The erudition, of the blogger., Juan Cole.

Answer 106: I liked the way he presented his information and I felt he was honest 
and straightforward in his presentation.

Answer 107: Because it provides the clearest and most intelligent commentary on 
Iraq that I have read.

Answer 108: Many updates, he seemed knowledgable about the subject, speaks arabic

Answer 109: The war against the people of Iraq is one of the things that has 
bothered me the most about the tyrants in charge. Prof Cole is so 
friggin' spot on with his analyses I find him irresistable. Informed 
indeed! I love reading words of sanity.

Answer 110: Because Prof. Cole writes from a solid base of knowledge about the 
region and, I feel, can be trusted to be objective in his 
presentation.

Answer 111: It tells what's going on in Iraq by an expert whose views are similar 
to mine. I read news and blogs on-line every day, and I needed to 
know what's going on in Iraq. (As an American.)

Answer 112: Cole's commentary is timely, and he summarizes Arabic-language media 
for non-speakers. I have a strong interest in keeping informed about 
current events Iraq and the rest of the Middle East region.

Answer 113: The drive to war was happening and IC was the best blog on the 
subject, even though I then disagreed with its postion on the the war.

Answer 114: Because I found his predictions generally came true, thereby giving 
him a lot of credibility in mind.

Answer 115: Because i need to know what is going on in Iraq.  i have livedi nt he 
middle east for many years but have never been to Iraq and know 
nothing about Shia Islam whereas he is an academic expert on that.

Answer 116: It is the only place that I get the full picture of the Iraq mess.

Answer 117: It's very informative on a topic which, for all it's topicality, 
there is very little information.  For instance, most people here 
would not be aware from what they read in the press or see on TV that 
most Arab countries are Sunni and hence would not understand the 
politics of the middle east.

Answer 118: He intelligently discusses topics that the MSM are hesitant to write 
about in depth.

Answer 119: By inspecting the detail and becoming aware of the integrity of the 
information...a bit like the Pentagon Papers...

Answer 120: For various reasons.  1) Cole thinks for himself. Sometimes momentum 
for an idea grows so rapidly on the blogosphere that it can come to 
seem like orthodoxy.  Case in point: getting out of Irq. Cole offered 
a more nuanced view of that action, and in the process, he helped us 
understand the repercussions of leaving Iraq en masse. 2) Cole is 
unique in his ability to refrain from getting strident in these 
intensely  emotional times. Even some of my favorite bloggers can't 
resist occasionally engaging in ad hominem attacks and giving in to 
raw emotion. Cole keeps his eye on the ball. He's intense and 
passionate about what he says, but he is always measured in his 
judgments. 3) He's a smart guy who knows the language and the reason. 

Answer 121: Oh, this is easy!  Cole knows what he's talking about.  He speaks 
Arabic pretty decently and obviously reads it well.  He cares about 
the middle east and has real sympathy for the people living there. 
He entertains serious disagreement and prints challenges to his 
analyses, provided they are well-thought and coherently written.

Answer 122: Information

Answer 123: Comment had news not in my daily newspaper or not emphasized in the 
paper.  Especially important that he tells of  the suffering of the 
Iraquis.

Answer 124: For the occasional essay rather than the daily posting of deaths and 
individual events.

Answer 125: Because of his expert knowledge.

Answer 126: expert, rational commentary about important issues

Answer 127: Because it is fair, objective and has better coverage of current 
events than television or news media, and gives a better analysis, 
offering historic background material not found anyplace else. I'm 
sold on Juan Cole!

Answer 128: Because it gives me information I don't have time to compile myself, 
and it's well written with good analysis and history.

Answer 129: Because Mr. Cole deploys expertise and language skills specifically 
to comment upon the day's news: he both collects stories I haven't 
seen, and provides analysis that feels credible to me.  It helps that 
his guest commentators are often authors I know and enthusiastically 
read from other venues, e.g. Gilbert Ashcar.

Answer 130: It's become a good way for me to keep up to date on things happening 
in the Middle East, especially in regards to the Iraq war - 
information that I might not otherwise have been exposed to in other 
media outlets.

Answer 131: The war in Iraq, the war on terror.  Both issues are generally 
presented in the mainstream media with a type of "balance" that 
includes Bush Administration propaganda and other neoconservative/ 
neocolonial spin (though not quite as much these days, with Libby 
indicted, etc.).  Juan provides translations from the foreign press 
and generally provides an educated perspective that is impossible to 
find elsewhere, especailly from millionaire pundits who do not even 
speak Arabic.

Answer 132: Cole became a singular source of detailed knowledge about the 
intricacies of Iraq/Iran, Sunni/Shia politics, moreso than any other 
news source.

Answer 133: The scope and detail of coverage on the Iraq war and its context not 
readily obtainable elsewhere; what I consider reliable information 
presented by an informed and perceptive expert; the basic decency and 
civility of the site. I check it nearly every day now.

Answer 134: JC is well credentialed and IC is informative and well written

Answer 135: like the wide range of sources
like the wide perspective (w respect to sources, languages, history, 
region etc.)
like the sardonic sense of humor

Answer 136: I immediately recognized that he was a source I could trust to put 
forth a more complete picture....and I was able to glean information 
from him that was not available elsewhere.

Answer 137: The insights I read on that very first visit were increadible.  There 
was much more content knowledge than I've gotten anywhere else on the 
history of the Iraqi peoples and the current conflict there.

Answer 138: Finally a site where the poster actually knows and understands the 
culture, history, and language of the area that he is blogging 
about...
I find particularly helpful his knowledge of Shia Islam

Answer 139: Because they interest me, I look for his analysis of the issues, and 
to a lesser extent, coverage of Iraqi politics.  I rarely read the 
daily news about car bombings.

Answer 140: I think it is the best source of accurate day-to-day information on 
the war. Also, Cole has a point of view.

Answer 141: Juan gives an informed view of what is going on in Iraq which is 
difficult to find.

Answer 142: Professor Cole is the best source of information on Iraq.

Answer 143: I found what Josh Marshall said to be true.  Simply put, I don't know 
any other sources from which I can get an intelligent analysis of 
daily Iraq news, which has often been both translated and interpreted 
from any of several foreign media outlets.

Answer 144: Juan is an excellent writer, and he is able to explain things clearly 
and concisely

Answer 145: It is essential to understanding the war.

Answer 146: I was outraged by the Iraq war, and wanted to know what was really 
going on in the Middle East.  Juan Cole sums it up, analyzes it, and 
digests the current events there.

Answer 147: Only place for primary sources on every development in Iraq.

Answer 148: I was impressed by Cole's analytic approach and his clear command of
developments in Iraq almost to the hour.

Answer 149: He is focussed on Iraq specifically, and Middle East generally. He has personal
knowledge of the region and expertise, and can read/translate the language. He
knows the history of the region and uses his knowledge to 
explain/critique current
happenings and actions of members of our administration. He is SENSIBLE. He
writes daily, almost always including short summaries of media in Iraq/other ME
countries. He has responded to my email questions.

Answer 150: I appreciate Juan Cole's expertise, the factual content, and his 
sympathy for people in the Middle East. Shared outrage at the war is 
also a factor--I couldn't imagine reading a pro-war blog every day.

Answer 151: It seems to have the best information about Iraq. 
It has links to the best information and the 
sources he is using.  It take less time to keep 
informed on his site than it would to wait for 
documentaries or to read for myself in all the 
newspapers he seems to read.

Answer 152: He's my daily fix. Glad he posts at 6:30am, as I get up at 7 & read 
him as soon as I check out icasualties.org. He's not only pretty 
comprehensive about Iraq developments, but also puts them in context, 
so that the less-well-informed, like me, actually learn something.

Answer 153: Its title is accurate.

Answer 154: Because I found it to be the most concise and trustworthy source of 
daily news on Iraq (and other matters that he comments on, for that 
matter).  It's a significant and vital part of my daily non-MSM news 
coverage.  His links to international media are especially important 
to see what is being omited from US MSM.  I like his unpretentious, 
non-confrontational and humble presentation, including his posting of 
guest contributors with differing takes or opinions.  And his 
occasional historical commentaries, while not necessarily newsworthy, 
are interesting, provide historical context, and reveal both his 
historical expertise and his love for teaching it.

Answer 155: His information is brilliant - opinion is guarded with caveats that 
you know where he is coming from and sources are usually given - bad 
and good looked at mostly leaving you to make your own opinion.

Answer 156: His academic background adds credibility.

Answer 157: Dr.  Cole lends a unique perspective to the middle east, one that 
isn't often seen in America and certainly not in the mainstream media 
or PBS.

Answer 158: Very high quality information and analysis. The fact that it's daily 
is also very appreciated.

Answer 159: It is concise but extremely informative and does not seem biased

Answer 160: Intelligent comment on the Middle East, not influenced by anybody or anything.

Answer 161: Juan Cole presents a good summary and analysis of the latest news 
events from Iraq.  However, other sites do that as well.  His 
contribution is that his knowledge of Arabic and Middle Eastern 
culture allows him to pick up on basic facts and hidden meanings that 
escape most commentators.

Answer 162: He was presenting perspectives (the ones outside the US) that was not 
being covered by the US Media.

Answer 163: He knows what he is talking about and he reads a lot of non-English 
material to which I have no access.

Answer 164: Informed Comment is unique, unbiased and highly insightful.

Answer 165: I trust Cole's honesty
IC is the only source of news/analysis that I turn to.

Answer 166: goes straight to the heart of the very most topical matters in an 
intelligent, educated and informed way, holding all "sides" of the 
political equations to the same high standards and piercing analyses

Answer 167: objective analysis

Answer 168: Interesting news on the Islamic world that I haven't found anywhere 
else.  Much more detail than BBC, Reuters, AFP, etc.  Also links to 
sources, which commercial news sites do not provide.  The mixture of 
news and commentary is interesting.  I guess I generally agree with 
Juan's point of view, though not as strongly as he expresses it 
usually.

Answer 169: I am interested in understanding the background of the problems in 
the Middle East and found the mainstream media somewhat uninformative.

Answer 170: It looks to me as if Professor Cole has genuine expertise in 
understanding how the Iraq war appears "from the other side". 
Without this viewpoint, one cannot hope to understand a war, 
especially one as under-reported from the field as this one.  I 
really like that he reads the Arabic language press and tells us what 
is being said there.

Answer 171: Only place where this informations is, and is kept up to date. The 
novelty of the occasional long-form commenters also is a plus.

Answer 172: I'm interested in the topics covered (sociology of irak, 
instrumentalization of religion, etc.)

Answer 173: Needed an Iraq war source ... Did not fee other sites, I read, have 
educted insights into middle east situation.

Answer 174: See answers 3 and 5.

Answer 175: I like how he summarizes information that I am not hearding about 
from other sources.  I like how he has links to the sources he 
quotes.  Also, I like to think about his opinions.

Answer 176: it is intelligent, and refutes a lot of the bush propaganda

Answer 177: Because of Cole's expertise, scholarly credentials and frank assessments.

Answer 178: Because it is the best source of analysis on the Iraq conflict. The 
Iraq conflict, significant in itself, gives us a window to see how 
governments, public opinion, ideologies interact - understanding of 
this conflict helps us understand the world as a whole.

Answer 179: I found the views of an expert on the Middle East and Islam to be 
worthwhile reading material. The fact that Mr. Cole's readiness to be 
politically honest- and say "I don't know" or "I was wrong"- 
convinced me that IC is a good blog. He presents his ideas in a calm, 
reasoned way that is a pleasant change from, say, Frontpagemag.com. 
Also, Mr. Cole cites other sources most of the time; this is useful 
in that the reader doesn't have to go hunting for more information on 
something that's blogged about.

Answer 180: Juan seems to have better sources of news in the Middle East and even 
though he is liberal his reporting on facts seems evenhanded and 
accurate.

Answer 181: it is excellent, lively, interesting, and gives a sense of total 
honest authenticity.

Answer 182: I thought Juan Cole seemed like an informed source and his articles 
were more complex and deeper than others.

Answer 183: Because it's "informed"!  It presents a fuller picture of, e.g., the 
situation in Iraq than the overly-simplified (and often misleading) 
distortions of other media that lack understanding of the background.

Answer 184: It is always well written and thorough.  Professor Cole has proven to 
be a knowledgable person with integrity.

Answer 185: It is smart, articulate, insightful, and written by a guy who has 
lived in the MIddle East and can speak the language. The University 
of Michigan cachet was big for me, too. I very much appreciate his 
willingness to post replies from other academics who disagree with 
him.....a rare event these days.

Answer 186: IC provided a viewpoint (backed up by references to facts) that 
created a more coherent picture of what was going on in the Middle 
East than the spin being offered by the Bush Administration (and 
faithfully repeated by mainstream news sources).

Answer 187: Topics discussed on the blog were timely and interesting, and I never 
had any doubt about the integrity of Prof. Cole (no hidden agenda). I 
also enjoy the depth of the analysis. If topics aren't covered in 
detail on the blog there's often a link to another source where more 
information can be had.

Answer 188: I believed the information to be accurate and I appreciate Dr. Cole's 
analysis although I sometimes disagree.

Answer 189: I am writing about the war in Iraq, and Informed Comment is good at 
keeping track of major and minor incidents.

Answer 190: I had long been frustrated by attitudes about Islam expressed by the 
American media. Myself an academic, although in a very different 
field, it was not difficult to make an educated guess based only on a 
cursory knowledge of the history of the region, that when Douglas 
Feith or Paul Wolfowitz said something like "Iraqis are more secular 
than others in the region" they were speaking untruths, on the 
grounds that I did not believe they were qualified to make those 
judgments.
RSS helped, too.

Answer 191: Quality - one quickly senses that the writing is informed and 
carefully considered with an original insight into issues - you know 
- you can just sense this.

Answer 192: I enjoy the detailed daily news

Answer 193: Most informed blog about the middle east.

Answer 194: I am interested in world affairs and Juan Cole is an expert on the 
Middle East with a lot of specialized knowledge and experience.  I am 
always looking to deepen and enrich my understanding of world affairs 
and he is an excellent resource for that.

Answer 195: I am interested in world events and believe that the Iraq war is of 
very high importance.

Answer 196: Juan has great insight and  knowledge and you often get to know 
things newer told elsewhere. He is also not afraid to give his 
analysis of a situation even if that differs from the majority.

Answer 197: He provides info I didn't already know, or stuff with a sufficiently 
left wing anti war bias to appeal to me.

Answer 198: I wanted to read the thoughts of an academic who had long experience 
in the mid-East which gave depth and understanding. It seemed, too, a 
great antidote to the sort of cheerleading of many newspapers at the 
time for the Administration's position.

Answer 199: the name of the blog says it all.

Answer 200: Informed, in-depth and up-to-date analysis of issues which other 
media (print and broadcast) were either simplifying or 
misrepresenting. My girlfriend's father is a former UK ambassador to 
the Middle East who has met Al-Sistani and others; Informed Comment 
lets me talk to him about what's going on.

Answer 201: He has some of the most detailed information regarding the ME.

Answer 202: honest quasi-expertise

Answer 203: I became a regular reader because I appreciated the fact that his 
views were supported by a deep understanding and appreciation for the 
culture, history, language and religion of the region he was writing 
about.  Many commentators have only a passing understanding of the 
subjects they write/opine about.

Answer 204: Juan Cole provides a resource, specifically news particular to the 
Mideast, which he gathers from multiple sources, both foreign and 
national.

Answer 205: I beleive that Professor Cole is by far the most knowledgable 
academician today when it comes to the Middle East Plictics and the 
history of the region.

Answer 206: Because Dr. Cole is very knowledgable person on the issues of Iraq 
and the Middle East. Athough, I don't agree with him on some issues, 
but I still find him very informative to surf him weblog.

Answer 207: Professor Cole writes well and is very knowledgeable about the Middle East.

Answer 208: It is the only news on the war in Iraq. And, it is only news I trust on Iraq.

Answer 209: Because he seemed to actually understand what he was talking about 
and was apparently well informed.  And I felt like he wouldn't feed 
me propaganda.

Answer 210: Juan Cole is one of the sharpest academics when it comes to modern 
developments in the Middle East. Informed Comment is a necessity for 
anyone wishing to go behind the mainstream media and official 
administration accounts of the Iraq war.

Answer 211: Juan Cole has a rare quality of expressing his opinions in a clear 
and stark way. So, it's part literary. I also tend to agree with him 
on most subjects. I'm not sure if that's good.

Answer 212: Professor Cole writes intelligently and insightfully about issues, 
and always links relevant news articles to his own entries for 
further reading.  I agree with his politics for the most part, and 
from the way he writes and doesn't stifle dissenting opinions i don't 
feel that he is trying to be deceptive as most blogs seem to be.

Answer 213: it offers good, meaty analysis. i don't always agree with juan -- 
especially about israel -- but his web site writing is honest and 
insightful, if not provocative. what's more, it stands in sharp 
relief to the conventional pablum that passes for analysis on cable.

Answer 214: Because Professor Cole offers a uniquely informed, and regularly 
updated, perspective on events in the Middle East that no major news 
organization offers.

Answer 215: continual updating and percieved general accuracy

Answer 216: To me, Juan Cole is the most educated and informed voice discussing 
Middle East issues in the press today.  The mainstream press is 
essentially smoke and mirrors.

Answer 217: To me, Juan Cole is the most educated and informed voice discussing 
Middle East issues in the press today.  The mainstream press is 
essentially smoke and mirrors.

Answer 218: Informed Comment has daily in-depth analysis of events in Iraq, in 
clear and accessible language.  It also features debates between JC 
and other experts, which have been especially enlightening for me. 
It is difficult to get a sense of the social dynamics in Iraq from 
any other source.

Answer 219: Because I find the blog very trustworthy.

Answer 220: clear and well reasoned postings on an interesting topic
perspective not covered in other news sources

Answer 221: Good analysis of events in the Middle East. Good links to other 
sources of information about this area

Answer 222: Truth. It became obvious that Prof Cole was telling the facts.  I 
also knew someone who knew him from UCLA. Thta reeinforced my 
reading. My continued reading was based on the accuracy and 
forthrightness of his postings.

Answer 223: Because Juan Cole actually knows something of what he is talking 
about when he talks about Arabic culture and history.

Answer 224: The quality of commentary and the blog's focus on the Middle East 
have made it a major source of information for me in a post 9/11 
world .

Answer 225: Quality - one quickly senses that the writing is informed and 
carefully considered with an original insight into issues - you know 
- you can just sense this.

Answer 226: it's relevant to me, it's authentic, it opens new windows for looking 
at the topics of my interest, it gives all relevant info at one place 
(aggregator), it is updated, it gives links to info for which 
otherwise i will have to do a time taking googling. it is written by 
a person who has gr8 insight and understands the issues. also, being 
a shiite myself, have never found him mis-informed about the beliefs 
and actions of sect about which most writers, especialy here in sub 
continent, are either ill-informed or biased.

Answer 227: Cole seemed to actually know what he was talking about in the Middle 
East, which is very unusual.  And he seemed to be level headed and 
willing to admit mistakes, also very unusual.

Answer 228: It does not seem biased and gives indept information on current topics

Answer 229: I immediately could tell that this was someone who had a thorough 
knowledge of the culture and history of the region, which allowed for 
a better explanation of the dynamics at work than typical American 
news sites.

Answer 230: He speaks the local languages, and seems to know the backround and 
history of the major players. and he's ocassionally funny.

Answer 231: Prof. Cole offers a unique perspective on events in the Middle East 
and I greatly value his opinions. He also offers an extensive daily 
summation of a great deal of what is being reported about the Iraq 
War in both the U.S. and foreign media, which is extremely helpful 
for those of us who don't have the time to visit dozens of sites 
every day looking for information.

Answer 232: Cole speaks several Middle Eastern languages, has lived in the area, 
and is knowledgeable agout the history and culture of the region.

3) What leads you to trust and rely on Juan Cole more or less than on 
other bloggers /columnists writing about these issues? What makes IC 
different from (or similar to) other blogs?

Answer 1: First and foremost I trust Dr. Cole's expertise in the area. His 
command of Arabic, in particular, stands apart from most other blogs 
focusing on Iraq. Also, Dr. Cole tends to represent arguments fairly, 
even ones he disagrees with, and he will occassionally give space to 
alternate, although mostly sympathetic, arguments. In sum, Dr. Cole's 
writes as a politically engaged scholar, and so his presupposotions 
and methodology seem to me transparent and rigorous.

Answer 2: His extensive knowledge of past and present events in the area which 
offer greater insight into the complicated issues at hand.

Answer 3: It appears he has a vast wealth of contacts plus he must read an 
incredible number of resources.  He synthesizes what he learns into 
very readable form and includes links that I can go to if I want even 
more depth on a subject.  Combined with his education and experience, 
he gives a pretty large picture of what is happening.

Answer 4: bad queston on your part--I think--too vague, just a bout everybody I 
read is hitting these issues and I don't go to sites that that are 
dealing with issues like my musical tastes

Answer 5: Juan strives to be objective and outlines his reasons for independent 
assessment by the consumer (me).

Answer 6: For someone who so clearly dissents from the policies of the 
Administration, he is unusually non-alarmist and clear-headed.   He 
relies heavily on reliable news resources that I trust.

Answer 7: I believe I have a solid foundation in the area. (See answers in 2)). 
I believe I can discern a person who knows what he is talking about 
from one who doesn't. I believe I can detect bias when it exists. 
Professor Cole has an extremely high regard for the facts, reads more 
source material in a day than I could in a week, some of which is in 
languages in which I have little competence. There is simply no 
better place to go on Iraq. Period.

Answer 8: He is clear and concise, posts translations of news reports from the 
middle east, and is respected in his field.

Answer 9: He has a perspective based on reflection and experience.  He does a 
very good job presenting summaries of other news sources I don't have 
(easy) access to.

Answer 10: Georgi Derluguian recommended reading Cole's site during his class on 
Revolutions and Social Change. Derluguian compared it with other 
blogs that focus on the habits of pet dogs.

Answer 11: See #2, which covers it.  I'll also say that I like the fact that 
Juan Cole is open to change direction as new information or 
perspectives come available.  He both seeks and provides informed 
public debate.

Answer 12: He appears to modify his opinions based on changing facts. He is also 
amenable to the opinions of others.

Answer 13: Cole is an expert--his views are not mediated by an editor or 
publisher concerned with the bottom line or accommodating political 
power. He is also a trained historian, able to weigh evidence and 
make informed judgments.

Answer 14: I went to UM so have some trust for the larger institution he belongs 
to. He ranges from personal to broad comments, and lets us know when 
he doesn't know much, and provides a good many links to other 
sources, and excerpts others even when they don't necessarily agree 
with him.

Answer 15: I feel he is better educated and informed than most of the people on 
TV news and even in the government most of the time who make 
decisions that affect people's lives.  Everyone should listen to him 
and learn from him.  The world would be a much better place.

Answer 16: Intellectual honesty; not an axe-grinder; humanistic viewpoint

Answer 17: I trust academics--moreso than think-tank-bots at any rate. I was 
immediately impressed by his intelligence and appreciated his 
historical knowledge, and as I continued reading, I was kept coming 
back for his deep sense of humanity. He's a hero.

Answer 18: Prof. Cole has both knowlwdge and insight about the Middle East. We 
are fortunate to have his blog.  I especially like his willingness to 
give those with different views an opportunity to argue their points 
of view on his blog.

Answer 19: i have read dr coles articles in salon and other MSM outlets and his 
work stands above most other columnists in breadth and scope

Answer 20: mr. cole's credentials, and the respect that he has from the other 
blogger's that i frequent, leads me to trust and rely on IC.  i find 
that IC is less editorialized at times; when he does editorialize and 
problem solve i generally find his opinions and solutions rational 
and historically well thought out.  the daily updates give me the 
feeling that i can see a bigger picture that the one presented in 
mainstream media.

Answer 21: Over time he has been reasonable, truthful, and appears to have a 
sincere concern for the Iraqui people.

Answer 22: His experience.

Answer 23: His view is objective. He states what he believes even if it isn't 
popular. He isn't afraid to change his mind if the situation warrants 
it.

Answer 24: over time you can see that it gets it pretty damn right in a messy world.

Answer 25: Lrgely Dr Coles credentials.

Answer 26: He is an expert on the Middle East, others are not.

Answer 27: The only difference is familiarity, as I'm not  aware of other, similar blogs.

Answer 28: It seems he knows what he is talking about.

Answer 29: He is an academic specialist - that clearly comes first - his 
politics are secondary

Answer 30: I look for historical context and cited material. Prof. Cole has 
both. I trust Prof. Cole because his words have often been the 
launching point for further research and invariably this research has 
backed up his claims. Prof Cole stands out because he doesn't resort 
to petty name calling or cheap polemics.

Answer 31: In reading his column over time,  it quickly becomes apparent that 
Cole is well-informed.  His bias is not hidden and is not arbitrary-- 
so that I know where he is coming from.

Answer 32: His comments are actively informed.  Analysis is 
ongoing, not dogmatic -- conducted in real time, 
as his point of view actively incorporates 
opposing intellectual perspectives, which he 
honestly welcomes to his site.

Answer 33: Cole has a point of view, but he reports a range of opinions.

Answer 34: Tone, huility, passion, detail, his interest, and his historical 
awareness and travels in the ME,

Answer 35: The web remembers everything.
He admits and corrects the mistakes he's made.

Answer 36: His depth of knowledge and  reasonable arguments.  I also like the 
nice clean appearance of his blog.

Answer 37: Professorial blogs have a certain cache for me to start with; he 
seems very well informed, impassioned and reasonable at the same 
time.  He is connected to other websites I admire including: TPM; 
Washington Note, Tomdispatch, Ariana Huffington etc.

Answer 38: Probably the fact that you are an academic and write with a different 
tone, as well as with more understanding.

Answer 39: Years of specialized training and experience.  (His, not mine.)

Answer 40: Juan Cole's intelligence and respect for the facts bespeak an 
integrity that is simply not common to other bloggers/columnists who 
are writing angrily or sarcastically to prove a point.  Anger and 
sarcasm are marks of the notoriously thinskinned; Juan Cole knows his 
area of expertise, respects it, and is unafraid to say, "i don't 
know."   What makes IC different from the blogs I've visited are his 
intention to find and tell us the truth, and his ability to state 
clearly the reasons for his opinions, which are refreshingly free of 
foul language and irrelevant spleen.

Answer 41: a: see above.  b: not applicable as i am not much of a comparative 
blogger, to my detriment to be sure

Answer 42: I don't read him with total acceptance of everything he says...he has 
to make educated guesses sometimes...we disagreed about going into 
Iraq (even tho his reasoning was nuanced). But I tend to trust 
academics more than other experts because education has made a great 
difference in my perception of the world.

Answer 43:   Most of the time he presents fairl;y the news as reported from other 
perspectives.
Occasionally though I think he is soft on American misdeeds,

Answer 44: Juan Cole think outloud and is open to new information. For instance, 
it appears to me that his position on withdrawal of troops from Iraq 
has morphed from being opposed to it absent a UN peacekeeping force 
to the position that the troops ought to withdraw, with an 
intermediate step of at least withdrawing to bases outside the 
populated areas.

Answer 45: He is just one of the informed resources that I use fo my info on the 
Middle East

Answer 46: Prof. Cole is writing about his area of scholarly expertise, using 
language that makes it easily accessible to the layman.  Unlike most 
bloggers, he actually has something interesting to say because he is 
truly knowledgeable about the subject.

Answer 47: He is an expert in his field - he also provides news reports from 
various sources, not just mainstream ones.  I feel I get a better 
sense of what Muslims think about American policies, and more 
truthful reporting

Answer 48: He has remarkable background and credentials. But the information to 
noise ratio is probably the most important. He is clearly a very 
thoughtful and serious person who provides loads of quality 
information and very little empty emotional rhetoric.

Answer 49: His characterizations of the people and history rang true with people 
I knew who were from the region and had studied the history and 
religion.

Answer 50: Mr. Cole has region specific information everyday . He is also the 
expert , not limited to University study or by way of hidden motives, 
Mr. Cole often gets thru the dust and spin by way of personal 
experience in the most critical region of our time. To make clear the 
motives and possible exceptions of almost any given action/policy 
offered or ignored by those in and around the region in study.

Answer 51: I use J.C.'s site as a balance factor. Many other sites take the 
other view and one can trust J.C. to make a sound argument to show a 
different view. He does not always convince me, but it is worth my 
time to take his view.

Answer 52: His knowledge shines through on almost every entry

Answer 53: I know of nothing else even similar. None of the others are 
professors of middle eastern history.

Answer 54: Juan is objective, honest, and knowledgeable.

Answer 55: Juan Cole has admitted that he has been mistaken and wrong about 
things.  He also admits that he doesn't know everything.  This candor 
has increased my trust in him as I have been reading his blog. 
Although I don't always argee with his politics I have a great deal 
of respect for him because he takes time to engage with his readers 
and others by providing explanations for his positions.

Answer 56: I have come to trust IC. Even when Prof. Cole is giving an opinion I 
take it seriously something I can not say of many others.

Answer 57: I feel his academic background, and thoughtful comments, create the 
atmosphere of trust I look for. He's also changed his opinion when 
faced with facts - another quality I admire.

Answer 58: His academic background and what I have stated above.

Answer 59: I trust Dr. Cole's analysis due to his extensvie personal history 
with the region, his knowledge of the languages, customs and 
cultures.  I feel that he honestly cares about the people and places. 
This marks a difference from other blogs.

Answer 60: His comments and insights are intelligent and reasonable. There are 
always links to supporting information. And any opinions expressed 
are argued well and logically. Mr Cole puts forward rational comments 
and suggestions regarding situations not just pushing a party or 
policy line.

Answer 61: The depth of his personal experience in the language, customs and 
culure of the people he studies.

Answer 62: Although he's villified as a Leftist by the Right I find that his 
analysis is balanced and perhaps less  radical than I might wish. His 
approach is refreshing in that it is less agenda driven than blogs 
from the further ends of the political spectrum. The amount of actual 
'news' is great as well and it is the first place I come to for the 
latest information from the region.

Answer 63: Juan himself.

Answer 64: Undoubtedly Juan Cole has points of view that might differ from mine, 
but he backs up his  viewpoints with knowledgeable commentary and is 
not prone to whimsical thinking, propoganda or other intellectual 
fallacies that almost everyone in the news does

Answer 65: The difference is that Cole is a scholar steeped in knowledge of his 
subject. He's passionate that our nation should behave honorably, but 
is never self-righteous, never mocking.

Answer 66: I'm interested in the facts. I like to form my own opinions. Juan's 
opinions are obvious, but the facts are copious.

Answer 67: he has facts & a grasp of the history of the Middle East -- unlike many others

Answer 68: concise analysis. very objective.  dry sense of humour.

Answer 69: He seems to have been studying the area for quite a while, uses 
sources outside America,

Answer 70: When he doesn't know, he says so.
He identifies his conjecture upfront.
Not paid to comment.
Has best sources.
He scares Bush.

Answer 71:  From a direct experience of Isarael, the Palestinians and the 
politics of the region, his judgement often echoes my own, plus he 
provides insightful comments on Shii groups as well as wider links in 
the Middle East.  I know enough to know he's mostly on the ball, and 
I tend to trust him on areas I don't know enough about.

Answer 72: I do not trust most "mainstream" reporters.  Their job is to sell a 
story which will bring eyeballs before their sponsors advertisements, 
so they can be hysterical or dismissive depending upon who is paying 
them to promote a POV.  With government in the mix, the truth is even 
more obscured or slanted.  An academic usually is thinking of a 
future audience and therefore wants to ferret out facts and state 
opinions which will stand the test of time.

Answer 73: As per  2 -  his commentary matches my experience, and also is 
corroborated by sources for outside the U.S. like the Economist.
Unlike most bloggers (and pundits), Dr. Cole generally does not 
comment outside his area of expertise - which adds to his credibility.

Answer 74: His blogs seem to have the most credability, also, his knowledge of 
these countries make more sence then other blogers. His explinations 
are detailed with supporting data.

Answer 75: His expertise and professionalism makes his blog entries trustworthy 
day in and day out. His blog entries are mostly about the occupation. 
There's more focus on the issue abroad than other blogs. Also, in his 
blog there's less of a feel that you're in a coffee shop bashing the 
right wing and more of a lecture feel like you are learning something.

Answer 76: His experience and background makes Juan Cole an expert of Middle 
East politics. Most socalled experts and talking heads on TV lack his 
knowledge.

Answer 77: Juan Cole has the historical background and knowledge of the language 
that enable him to provide insight that is deep, broad, and accurate 
(i.e. it bears the test of time).

Answer 78: cole's experience and knowledge of the middle east .

Answer 79: As above.   There are other IRAQ bloggers, such as anti-war.com,  but 
they serve a different purpose, and have their place.  Juan Coles 
blog is unique.

Answer 80: I suppose some people may list Mr. Cole's qualifications here, but 
that is NOT what brings me back to his site day after day. What 
does--and this certainly may be related to his qualifications--is the 
"how this works" type of writing characteristic of the site.
Most sites are full of analysis and empty of content. One is led to 
believe that the creator either presumes full knowledge on the part 
of his/her audience or that the author presumes full ignorance--and 
thus "manipulability." We can see this clearly on two (I hesitate to 
say "both") sides of the political debate.
Mr. Cole's site is different. His readers DO get analysis definitely. 
But I would argue that content--what is going on--is the keystone to 
this analysis, rather than the reverse.

Answer 81: scholar - expert in his field. plus trust built over years of 
reading. other bloggers loose it,

Answer 82: First his scholarship, which is important in two ways: 1) his 
detailed knowledge and ability to read Arabic sources; 2) an approach 
that is not ideologically fixed and grows with new understandings of 
a fluid situation.

Answer 83: his historical knowledge of the different players and his readings of 
how events are being interpreted in the arab world.

Answer 84: His knowledge of the languages, experience living in the area, and 
long involvement in studying the history of Iraq.

Answer 85: As I mentioned in Q. 2, his depth of knowledge of and experience in 
the midEast establishes his credibility.

Answer 86: His obviously knows what he is talking about and has a lot of 
experience in Middle Eastern affairs.

Answer 87: Cole has a scholarly approach to his field, knows important 
languages, travels, and writes very well.

Answer 88: While he certainly has viewpoints, he tries to clearly separate fact 
from opinion

Answer 89: Sooner or later it tends to come out that he was right about how 
things are playing out in the Middle East.  Other sources take 
contrary views, but the facts don't tend to bear them out.

Answer 90: His analysis is detailed, supported by facts and sources and is 
largely free of ideology. His views on likely developments largely 
are confirmed by subsequent events. Most blogs (left and right) 
strain existing facts to conform to a preconceived conclusion. 
Professor Cole lays out the facts---here's what's happening and 
here's what people are saying---and analyzes them in light of a 
profound knowledge of the region and its history, the peoples, the 
faiths and the politics. He is  man of astonishing range.

Answer 91: I was briefly his graduate student at the University of Michigan in 
1993, and know his scholarship from my graduate school training from 
later eras.

Answer 92: As I said above, I don't think he has a political agenda in the 
current sense of the term.  I believe he has his own historical 
agenda, but that is similar to a geologist's agenda toward global 
warming.  It is long term and based in years of study.  It is also 
clear to me after reading for years, that he is willing to question 
his previous judgments.  This is the quality of a true educator. 
Questions are the drivers and the  joy of learning.

Answer 93: Copious use of links, little bias (and he makes biases obvious rather 
than presenting them as objective truth), well researched, discusses 
Iraq at a town and province level rather than making blanket 
statements about the entire nation (very refreshing)

Answer 94: He is an actual expert, not an armchair pontificator.

Answer 95: I am a middle eastern Muslim, and I feel that Juan Cole have a deep 
understanding to the history, people, sentiments, political, social 
and economic condition and the ideologies / religions in the region. 
Based on that he presents a balanced approach in his coverage. He is 
also willing to correct his position in light of new information. I 
have not shopped around for another blogs, but when I come accross 
them, they usually suffer from wordiness (like tom dispatch) or 
unpridictable postings (like Salam Pax or Where is Raed).

Answer 96: What he commented on would almost always be seen in future actions by 
the various participants.

Answer 97: Juan Cole does not claim to be omniscient.  He welcomes opposing 
views and his own view go through an evolutionary process, over time.
I often disagree with him, initially.  This disagreement encourages 
me to study the matter and, invariably, his view is correct.

Answer 98: Prof. Cole lays it out there for all to see - he thinks, he reasons, 
he discusses, he reconsiders - he distills his years of knowledge and 
education and travel for the less knowledgable and he does so in well 
written language. he does not just lecture.

Answer 99: More than other bloggers - because unlike others he has academic 
creadentials and focusses on one topic (I would not trust his 
oppinion on say - South America). On numorous occasions he broke news 
that later made it into other media.

Answer 100: Don't read other blogs on the issue.
Juan Cole's insight into Iraqi issues (and military issues come to 
that) is clearly greater than most journalists I have read. Because 
he follows the scene consistently, he is able to present a 'big 
picture' which I find lacking in e.g. BBC News online, and his 
presentation of this 'big picture' is credible because of his 
expertise.

Answer 101: Professor Cole is a shining example of the age old scholarly 
tradition of wisdom that shuns power in favour of truth and service 
to others. He would be a formidable President of the US if the public 
were wise enough to select him.

Answer 102: Juancole As an American that is well informed about the middle east 
not only write with America's interest in mind but also help teh 
reader see how the people in middle east see the situation .

Answer 103: Just the sense that he knows what he is talking about that he is 
insightful and the fact that the blog is informative.  His 
credentials play a role in this, as does corroboration from other 
sites, but mostly it is the well reasoned straightforward informative 
nature of the site--opinions backed by knowledge and reason.

Answer 104: He is familiar with the area having spent a good deal of time over 
there.  Also he speaks and reads the languages fluently.

Answer 105: 1.  The intelligent writing and the quality of thought.
2.  Cole's academic credentials in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic language.
3.  Interviews of Cole that I have seen on TV.  He is as clear and 
dynamic in person as in his writing.
4.  Cole's willingness to listen to other intelligent points of view 
and give them space on his blog even when they disagree with his 
position.

Answer 106: Speaking Arabic helps a lot, he also lived in middle east. You cannot 
really be an expert, without actually knowing the culture first hand

Answer 107: On the face of it, from early in my reading of IC, he SOUNDS sane and 
knowlegeable -- you can kind of tell, somehow. I guess his respect 
for nuance and complexity was a lot of it. Having followed it quite 
some time, I find Prof. Cole to be almost frighteningly prescient. I 
mean, the dude has been calling it. Although things don't happen 
exactly as he "predcts" in every tiny detail, he certainly accurately 
lays out the basic logic of what's going on and what's to come. In 
short: his track record is what leads me to trust and rely on him. 
And, well, heck, you read a guy for years, and you can't help just 
LIKING the guy, you know?

Answer 108: See Item 2.

Answer 109: This may be hard to tease out. He's obviously an expert. He reads the 
arabic press. He has other informants. Therefore he gives a more 
rounded picture. Frankly, too, his views align with mine, and as I 
came to trust that alignment, I stuck around.

Answer 110: Cole's background as a professor of Middle Eastern studies and as a 
former resident of Lebanon lead me to believe he is a credible 
source. He balances criticisms of one side or the other with as much 
information as is reasonable in a blog post (as opposed to 
thesis/article).

Answer 111: academic credentials, language skills, reasoned and reasonable approach

Answer 112: His predictions and insights generally are proved correct over time.

Answer 113: He obviously knows about Shia Islam and Iraq.  However, when he tries 
to write about more general MENA stuff outside of Iraq, I notice he 
is not quite so trustworthy / knowledgeable (like when he wrote on 
the Egyptian elections I found several statements to quibble with). 
But for Iraq expertise I have found him consistent, making use of 
local sources, and generally very reliable.

Answer 114: a)education, b)knowledge of Arabic language, c)knowledge of Arabic 
culture, d)willingness to say the truth, and e)stand-up to the 
bulliness of the neo-cone artist.

Answer 115: I don't read other blogs so can't comment. I trust JC because he is 
willing to air and discuss alternative views.  I would like to see 
similarly rigorous material from other academics positing opposing 
views but don't know where to go

Answer 116: He discusses all sides of a topic (especially those not sanctioned by 
the government).  He has expertise in this field, unlike most who 
write about it.  His arguements are logical and reasonable.  He is 
slightly partisan (liberal), but gives space to non-liberal ideas and 
discusses them.

Answer 117: Consistent integrity. I sometimes read Cockburn or Englehart and like 
certain experts such as Robin Wright on Iran. I assidiously avoid 
propagandists such as Fouad Ajami or Bernard Lewis. IC has 
detail...sometimes too much...but it is source.

Answer 118: As I said above, he knows the region and the language. He was the 
first--perhaps the only--blogger who has a nuanced understanding of 
the social, religious, and cultural dynamics in the region.

Answer 119: Well, first of all, I don't think there is anyone who is writing 
about these issues in quite the depth and with the persistence of 
Juan.  Every day, every single day, he's got the news from sources 
you just cannot find elsewhere without much clicking and searching. 
And he provides translations of articles that otherwise are only 
available to Arabic readers.

Answer 120: seems informed.

Answer 121: Seems to be objective about the issues, tries to show both sides. 
There sems to be integrity and honesty in his writings, and he admits 
error or doubt if there is any about any of his writings.

Answer 122: He's dedicated to his area of specialization.  His familiarity with 
both current and historical events in the Middle East shows in his 
writing.  He's a professor at Michigan.  I like his progressive 
politics.

Answer 123: The details, historical backgound given and objective/honest summary on events.

Answer 124: Professor Cole brings a rich background in Middle Eastern history, an 
in-depth knowledge of the major players including religious leaders 
and a reasoned application of his expertise to current issues

Answer 125: As I said above on question 2, plus I am an avid surfer of the news. 
My husband, deceased, was from two prominent Iraqi families and he 
was extremely knowledgable about his country's history and political 
situation. Cole's information and attitudes are in most part 
consistent with that of my husband's and of others who have been or 
are "on the ground."

Answer 126: Good question.  He backs up his blog with news reports.  I'm not really sure...

Answer 127: It seems to me I dance a dance of identity or alienation with a 
blogger and basically sense how much I relate to his analysis and 
choice of topics: it's fundamentally trust.  Interestingly, this does 
not feel different from the role of sourcing for me as a network 
journalist: because I am reprocessing and not gathering information, 
I make editorial judgments based on an internal analytic process.
The consistency of this process is largely from my accumulated 
reading and tendency to think on my own.  It's news judgment, 
basically.  At some level it's not much different from reading a 
heavily footnoted book by Steve Coll, or even an unsourced book by 
Yossef Bodansky (both of whom write about intelligence matters -- I 
imagine the comparison to Mr. Cole's own secondary access will be 
clear enough).  At my end, everything is a teetering tower of 
credibility.  Method is part of it; Mr. Cole's language skills, guest 
resources, history and consistent recourse to history is part of it; 
the rest is a decision I take on my own to believe or hold in 
suspension.  Scary, eh?

Answer 128: Mostly the knowledge of the writer and the sheer volume of 
information/linked articles, and the intelligent commentary that 
follows.

Answer 129: His passion, his knowledge, and his intelligence.  I don't care about 
objectivity or balance as long as there is detail and lots of 
information unavailable elsewhere.

Answer 130: I find the format and layout user-friendly, for starters.  But 
mainly, after reading the column a long while, I have come to respect 
Dr. Cole's expertise and  insight and appreciate his knowledge of 
Middle eastern history, language, and culture, providing insights 
that are mising from most other news sources.  In a just world, this 
man would be shaping wise policy in a presidential  administration.

Answer 131: He speaks the language.  Provides historical persopective which is 
often overlooked

Answer 132: academic and linguistic background (already familiar with Juan Cole 
from talks at MESA conferences)
other blogs I read are by journalists, and are quite good, but I 
value the academic and linguistic background

Answer 133: Juan has evolved over time, he is not afraid to admit he was wrong on 
something and his historical background adds a dimension that a lot 
of bloggers don't have.

Answer 134: Sheer academic knowledge.  He knows what he is talking about.  He'll 
admit when he's come to another conflicting conclusion after new 
evidence or even more time to think -- but mostly he's got a strong, 
well informed perspective.

Answer 135: Dr Cole is a professor of Middle East Studies in one of the most 
highly respected Middle East Studies departments of US academia.  His 
professional resume shows that his breadth of knowledge and 
experience - along with his knowledge of Arabic, Farsi, and Urdh - 
are rare in blogdom.  Because I spent from 1985-2001 teaching in 
universities around the Middle East - added to my own broad reading 
and studies on the area - it is easy for me to see that he knows what 
he is talking about.

Answer 136: He is distinguished both by his substantive knowledge and the quality 
of his analysis of issues.

Answer 137: Cole's credentials - University professor, author. Also he has been 
writing the blog for a long time without incurring any serious 
criticism of his accuracy, and I am sure that there are people who 
would like to catch him out.

Answer 138: I have heard him speak in person enough times and with other experts 
to have faith in what he says.

Answer 139: There are several reasons. Professor Cole is qualified. He is a full 
professor of area-related studies at U Mich and he is the author of 
books on the region. I also share Professor Cole's view on those 
criminals who planned this war. He describes the neocons as 
delusional and further, that they are leading the US (and the world) 
to a grave precipice.  Third, I saw the Zionists attempt to smear him 
when he discusses the role of Israel's agents in the Iraq War. A 
smear from a Zionist is a badge of honor.
Your second question (what makes IC different...) is far too vague to answer.

Answer 140: The expertise referred to in the previous answer.

Answer 141: Juan simply knows what he is taking about. He knows the region, he 
knows the language. I believe he is able to look past the spin and he 
makes extensive use of original sources and Middle-eastern and Arabic 
newspapers

Answer 142: Cole is more comprehensive and has a better understanding of Iraq's 
sectarian nature than any columnist for a major news organ. Most 
other bloggers are on an ego quest and lack the modest restaraint of 
Cole.

Answer 143: His academic credentials and first-hand experience in the area.

Answer 144: He not only argues forcefully for his opinions but is willing to let 
you see them evolve.  Pundits and academics who engage intellectual 
opponents in this way, conceding ground when they are persuaded they 
were wrong, are few and far between.

Answer 145: He is clearly knowledgeable about the history of the whole region,
he demonstrates careful judgement about events as they occur and
his commentary on their significance cannot be found elsewhere.

Answer 146: See 2), above.

Answer 147: Juan Cole is extremely well informed, including from Arabic sources. 
The academic style is also familiar to me (I am myself at a 
university). It also comes through that he is an honest person trying 
to offer something worthwhile to a wider public.

Answer 148: Well, in my case I've been familiar with Juan's 
scholarly work for years, and I know he has one 
of the best minds around. He know he is at least 
an expert on 19th and early 20th Century Persias 
and Ottoman history. Also, I trust academics more 
than journalists (I'm an academic myself).

Answer 149: The breadth of knowledge, calm tone, willingness to reveal when he is 
wrong are strong reasons to keep up with Prof. Cole's thoughts. I 
also am continually educating myself on Iraq, Islam, terrorism, etc., 
and have found much material to contradict Prof. Cole's analysis.

Answer 150: I'm not aware of any other US bloggers with his knowledge of Middle 
Eastern history and society.

Answer 151: See (2) above.   Most of what I find on IC can be ascertained from 
news and commentary posted at, say, antiwar.com, but usually only by 
reading lots of postings.  Cole provides an important filtering 
function by distilling the universe of such daily news and commentary 
down to an easily digestible portion.  I trust his filtering, and I 
value his added commentary, skepicism, etc.

Answer 152: Everyone has there own agenda I guess, but I think that the historian 
in  Juan Cole allows him to be pragmatic - I've not always agreed 
with the conclusions given, but they do not appear to be tained with 
political bias or agenda.  I can see why he came to the point and 
understand.  Facts and History of previous occurrences also the 
knowledge of the language - allows me to rely on his interpretation 
instead of MSM which does have an agenda or the Pentagon/Whitehouse 
which is usually embellishing anything that they say.
I do gain info from other blogs but his seems the most thoughtful - 
other blogs get tainted Left or Right wing - I do find IC Central.

Answer 153: I don' t really follow other blogs.  My sense from reading his blog 
is that it is reliable, with a clear point of view that allows me to 
evaluate what he has to say.

Answer 154: IC is written from an intellectual perspective. I read to learn, not 
merely to gain talking points after a night of heavy drinking at the 
local pub.

Answer 155: I ilke his analysis and his neutral point of view.

Answer 156: It is concise but extremely informative and does not seem biased, as above

Answer 157: Educator in the field.

Answer 158: Cole makes his opinions clear, and keeps them largely seperate from 
his analyses of the facts.  In comparison to other bloggers and news 
sources, he obviously has far greater knowledge of the Middle East, 
and does not have ideological loyalties which would greatly prejudice 
his opinions.

Answer 159: He makes reasoned, logical arguments and does not seem to have an axe to grind.

Answer 160: More.
He is an expert in the area he blogs.

Answer 161: Juan Cole has the academic credentials to back up his observations.

Answer 162: He is far less likely to push his pet theories and instead sticks to 
the point at hand.

Answer 163: informal yet thorough; courageous enough to change opinion when new 
information is received or through through further; good sense of 
humor even about troubling topics; Juan's a real gentleman who's not 
afraid to confront both the substance and venality of propaganda

Answer 164: His heritage and professionalism and knowledge of the facts

Answer 165: Again, reference to sources, and links. IC provides much more subtile 
analysis (for example discussion of the linguistics of the Iraqi 
constitution, where the broad media were just using English words 
with little regard for their Arabic referents).  I appreciate Juans 
biases and take them into account.  Also, I generally think his 
analysis is correct.

Answer 166: Deep knowledge and a lack of an ulterior agenda.

Answer 167: Professor Cole's blog is one of perhaps half-a dozen that I check 
almost every day.  I rely on his blog for amplification and 
interpretation of the American news from Iraq.  His blog is different 
because he is truly informed about the Middle East, its culture, its 
language, and its history.  That means that he gives us truly 
"Informed Comment", not just propaganda or invective.  I don't always 
read every word, I must admit!

Answer 168: He seems knowlegeable, and moderate, and that finds him a place in my universe.

Answer 169: It's not a question of "trust and rely". It's that almost all blogs 
lose their signal in their noise, most of which comes from 
opinionated navel gazing, a kind of middle-brow testosterone-driven 
sport. With Cole, finding the signal is easy.

Answer 170: Have seen him on TV talk/news, C-Span, etc programs and he comes 
across as informed, fair and having expirience in middle east affairs.

Answer 171: Juan Cole's is the only blog I read. He and two columnists from NYT 
(B. Herbert and P. Krugman) are the only American voices whom I 
trust, because they take a hard and steady look at the facts.

Answer 172: He seems to be honest, well intended, and knowledgeable about the 
Midddle East.  Also, he speaks Arab languages and has lived in many 
Arab countires.

Answer 173: it would seem he is intouch with the real situation over there

Answer 174: Because of his academic standing

Answer 175: There is no one else who is as sensible and wide-ranging in their 
understanding of the conflict. There is none else who takes so much 
trouble to explain the situation to their readers on a regular basis.

Answer 176: Please see my answers for (2). Mr. Cole has just proved himself to be 
trustworthy. Another good aspect about IC is that Mr. Cole posts 
readers' feedback sometimes, and even the comments of those who 
disagree with him.

Answer 177: Accuracy, evenhandedness, regular updates.

Answer 178: he is focused on his interests, and digresses sometimes from the 
Middle East which is OK, and comes across as such a real person, not 
with an overt agenda. He has such an excellent background!

Answer 179: He gets deeper into the issues with lots of local reports.

Answer 180: Background knowledge, openness, JC holds opinions but is also not 
afraid to change them in light of new information.

Answer 181: He obviously knows the subjects about which he writes.  He does not 
make irresponsible, unsupported claims in his reporting.

Answer 182: See #2......
There is much less ranting in IC than in other blogs.

Answer 183: Cole's knowledge of the history and languages relevant to the 
situation allows him to place the events in Iraq into a larger 
framework. Moreover, the claims he makes are backed up with facts, 
rather than attacks on people who disagree with him.

Answer 184: References from other blogs I trust were initially very helpful in 
creating a level of trust. Prof. Cole's academic credentials also 
carry a lot of credibility.

Answer 185: Dr. Cole does appear to know his subject. Many bloggers are no more 
informed than I am. Dr. Cole uses a skeptical analytical style that I 
like.

Answer 186: It took a lot of time in the begining before I started to trust Juan 
Cole. I never trust him 100% because he is only neutral (and that is 
the whole point reading him). sometimes I also compare IC wiht other 
sites and bloggers. I only read about a few other bloggers, because 
it takes a lot of time to come around. JC is very good at linking to 
his sources, so I check those I want to. And I can read that there is 
a pro behind the keyboard.

Answer 187: First of all, his academic credentials. That he teaches in an 
excellent history department certainly makes me likely to believe 
him; of course, the weblog isn't peer-reviewed (an interesting 
possibility), but Cole certainly has a reputation to uphold.
Secondly, and more to the point, he speaks Arabic. The failure of the 
American media to use analysts and reporters who actually, 
themselves, speak Arabic is probably at least as important as the 
whole "embedding" fiasco in the failure of news coverage of this war. 
In an ideal world, this wouldn't be something I mentioned: everyone 
doing reporting or analysis on this conflict would speak Arabic. 
Imagine that.

Answer 188: Again, it's the perception of quality - also, I've seen him on the 
Newshour and Democracy Now and heard him on NPR I think - his 
university credentials help but again, it's primarily the quality of 
his argument and exposition. When he exposes Hitchen's logical 
falicies and then Hitchen's slanders him that simply adds to his cred.

Answer 189: His writing is interesting and to the point

Answer 190: H. E. Carr the British historian said in his book, "What is History" 
"know your writer." Knowing Juan Cole and his background and 
following his writing tells me he is the best.

Answer 191: I do not absolutely trust and rely on Juan Cole more than anyone 
else, even within his area of expertise, the middle east.  I do give 
weight and credibility to his perspective, however, for a few 
reasons. 1. He is an academic who has studied the region, is well 
read and very knowledgeable. 2. He is humble about not knowing 
everything all the time and takes pains to identify areas where he is 
very sure and/ or not so sure of his knowledge / viewpoint 3. He is 
intellectually honest, open to other views and eschews character 
attacks in favor of honest, respectful argumentation.

Answer 192: I think Dr. Cole is my n. 1 source about Iraq and the Middle East 
because it looks like he really knows the issues he's talking about. 
His opinions usually make a lot of sense and sound much less 
"ideological" than what you usually find on newspaper columns or 
other blogs. Generally that's because the amount of details he 
provides makes almost impossible to fit things in some ideological 
straightjacket.

Answer 193: His knowledge, honesty and the fact that he is open with his opinions.

Answer 194: similar biases

Answer 195: Depth, knowledge, understanding ... knowing the long view.

Answer 196: he is a scholar. as an academic, his analysis is thoughtful, 
insightful, and based on synthesis of his own insights, his own 
translations/experiences, and those of his community (both academic 
and people on site in various places). As an academic, he is also 
able to defend his points on their intellectual merit, not spin or 
ideology; I suspect this comes from both a desire to undertand the 
workings of the world and a carreer rooted in peer-review. Finally, 
through the process of becoming an academic, he earns trust of those 
with similar experiences such as myself.

Answer 197: His qualifications, his declaration of bias in himself and others, 
his clear and apparent knowledge of his subject, and the division he 
makes between reporting and editorialising. I don't trust him 
absolutely, but I trust him more than anyone else I've read blogging 
on the subject of middle-eastern politics.

Answer 198: There are other bloggers I respect. His information seems to  more 
reliable, and focus more on description.  Also he seems to  be more 
language and cultural  proficient than most.  Of course what I view 
as truth meets two tests: One of time, and the other of 
corroboration- in eye witness,anectodal evidence, I  would never rely 
exclusively on a few sources.

Answer 199: direct translations, and critic of arab media, ability to draw good 
analogies and precedents.  admits his limits.

Answer 200: I rely on Juan more than other bloggers because his 
academic/scholarly background gives his views great weight, and he 
provides a great deal of information I wasn't getting anywhere else. 
He also comments at length about subjects that are virtually ignored 
by the mainstream press.

Answer 201: Apart from the distinctions mentioned in item 2, Juan Cole draws a 
reasoned analysis from the news, offering new perceptions based on 
his extensive experience and language skills particular to the 
region.  Cole also reinforces the integrity of his blog via his 
public appearances, where he often demonstrates a reasoned commentary 
and alnalysis.

Answer 202: He is hosnest and fair. Is not afraid of allowing the opposite views 
to be expressed on his website. He appears to be a tireless 
researcher. When he has the facts, he is not afraid of expressing his 
views even though it might not be very complimentary to the 
establishment!

Answer 203: I trust Professor Cole's academic experience and the way he supports his views.

Answer 204: Juan Cole reads the original reports and digests if for me. His 
comments are rational, and he places the news items in a context 
which makes the events understandable.

Answer 205: He seems to be more intelligent, better informed, more insightful, 
and a more lucid writer than almost all others I have read on the 
subject ot Iraq.

Answer 206: As above, Juan Cole is an academic I know and trust. I am familiar 
with his early work on Iran and Egypt as well as his academic studies 
dealing with Islamic religious and mystical thought. In other words, 
Juan has deep knowledge that goes beyond a narrow focus on, say, 
modern politics in the Middle East, or just study of esoteric trends 
in Sufism and Shi'ism. His breadth of knowledge is impressive and 
unique, even among academics.

Answer 207: I don't trust and rely on Juan Cole, but on his sources, as compared to my own.

Answer 208: It has a personal tone, but is thoroughly informed. Professor Cole's 
credentials are impeccable, and it's easy to find third parties that 
affirm his credibility.

Answer 209: see #2

Answer 210: His obvious linguistic and historical background on the subject.

Answer 211: His obvious linguistic and historical background on the subject.

Answer 212: JC posts commentary from other guests whose viewpoints differ from 
his, so I can reason through his arguments.

Answer 213: His knowledge of Arabic. His willingness to print opposing views. His 
keen understanding of the Iraqi body politic.

Answer 214: professor of history at a major US university

Answer 215: Juamn is well informed and speaks arabic, so he is able to source a 
lot more material written by people in the region.

Answer 216: I try not to compare. I am a fact person first. Prof Cole has facts 
and adds to them by real understanding, not simply opinion based of 
"whatever".

Answer 217: He is a true academic in that he gives you his sources and shows his 
work.  If I disagree with him, I can follow his reasoning back from 
the original idea to his conclusion and see exactly where and why we 
disagree.

Answer 218: Juan's credentials give me some assurance that he knows what he's 
talking about. But the proof is in the pudding as they say, and thus 
far I have found the commentary accurate, insightful and 
knowledgeable. And while I suspect I have learned something about 
Professor Cole's politics over the last year, the blog does not seem 
to be to be about partisan politics; rather, whatever political 
positions can be supported by the blog strike me as based on an 
assessment of the facts on the ground and not the other way around.

Answer 219: Again, it's the perception of quality - also, I've seen him on the 
Newshour and Democracy Now and heard him on NPR I think - his 
university credentials help but again, it's primarily the quality of 
his argument and exposition. When he exposes Hitchen's logical 
falicies and then Hitchen's slanders him that simply adds to his cred.

Answer 220: See 2) above.

Answer 221: "Informed Comment" gives more raw facts and referenced sources.  Lets 
me form my own opinion.

Answer 222: See 2.

Answer 223: His language skills (Tomas Friedman does not speak hebrew nor arabic)
He is ready to admit mistakes.
Huge amount of specifics to back up his opinions.
Hey..
the Sandy Kofax award !!

Answer 224: Prof. Cole brings a breadth of knowledge to the subject that I do not 
find among many other commentators. He also brings a great deal of 
common sense to his musings, which is a rarity in writings on Iraq. I 
also do not feel that Prof. Cole is pushing any particular agenda in 
his blog. Unlike most other commentators, his sole interest seems to 
be presenting the facts clearly and interpreting them realistically, 
and he does not seem motivated by any particular mode of political 
bias. I also respect the fact that he is willing to change his mind 
about things over time as he learns new facts or develops a new 
opinion, such as his recent reversal of his opinion regarding the 
withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. He does not change his views 
lightly, but I give him credit for being willing to alter them over 
time rather than sticking dogmatically to a particular position. In 
this way he is acting as a genuine intellectual and scholar rather 
than as a simple pundit.

Answer 225: I trust him because of his knowledge of the culture and languages of 
the ME, and I trust him because he has proved to be trustworthy.  In 
other words he is usually right..  He gives out good information.  If 
a blog proves to be wrong a number of times, I stop reading it.

4) What are your other major destinations (online or off) for 
news/analysis/commentary on Iraq and the Middle East? And how would 
you say Informed Comment fits into that collection of resources.

Answer 1: My primary news source is The New York Times. I'lll also read The New 
Republic and The National Review. All of those sources I access 
primarily on-line. I willl also occasionally read over right-wing 
blogs like www.littlegreenfootballs.com. I often use IC as a source 
of articles, following up the links that Dr. Cole provides and 
reading deeper in those sources.

Answer 2: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3087
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/
  http://www.civicworldwide.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/

Answer 3: If I read nothing else each day, I make a point of reading Informed 
Comment because I know I will get an, excuse me, and in depth 
synopsis of current events.  I read other blogs, the newspaper, and 
monitor television when I have time.

Answer 4: NYT, IHT, WaPo, Al Jaleera, Aramco News, posts from friends in the region

Answer 5: Guardian, Independent, International Tribune, Haaretz, Asiatimes, 
Aljazeera, Al Ahram etc, blogs.
Naturally, the above includes some biased views and Juan Cole is 
human. However, Juan does show insight in his particular area.
I am aware that western analysis of other cultures has limits - for 
example, greater insight can be gained on China by reading from 
Chinese scholars as opposed to westerners when attempting to 
understand china etc.

Answer 6: news.Google, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, New 
York Review of Books and Financial Times.   More consistently 
critical of the administration.   I have, for the past several years, 
been extremely distrustful of the guillibility of the main stream 
papers.   The New Yorker and NYReview of Books are good, but Cole 
provides daily coverage that allows him to point me to sources that 
those outlets miss.

Answer 7: The Washington Post. The New York Times. The Christian Science 
Monitor. Al-Jazeera. The Wall Street Journal (not the editorial page, 
which is a disgrace in its bias and lack of understanding. I recall 
Ernest Renan: "En toute chose, considerez les origines." This the 
editorial page writers do not seem to do.) Foreign Affairs. The Far 
East Economic Review (even in its new format). Int. al.

Answer 8: Main stream media, NYTimes, WSJ, LA Times, Harpers, The Nation, The 
Economist, Mother Jones, and many blogs

Answer 9: BBC.  Abu Ardvaark.  CBC.
Raw news is good at BBC.  IC has analysis.  It's the analysis that is 
the added value.

Answer 10: I also look at war stories from nytimes, but they are generally not 
very bold reporting. I consider IC my only reputable source.

Answer 11: Anthoney Cordesman, CSIS, BBC, Washington Post, NY Times.  After I 
check my e-mail in the morning, I read IC.  It is my first source of 
news on the Mid East each day and I usually check in the evening to 
see if he's posted anything else.  I look to see how he may have 
commented on the reporting and at other sources he may have 
mentioned.  It is my most important source.

Answer 12: Slate.com, Huffingtonpost.com, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek

Answer 13: New York TImes, New York Review of Books, New Yorker, Al-Jazeera 
on-line, BBC on-line.

Answer 14: NPR, magazine articles (mainly Harpers), the odd newspaper article 
(mostly the SF Chronicle) and online newspapers (usually through 
google news). IC is something I check out pretty much every day and 
often ties everything together.

Answer 15: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and Informed Comment are all that I read 
regularly.  There are some other blogs I read from time to time.  I 
also read newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post.

Answer 16: Various newspapers, including NYTimes and LATimes on occasion; 
William Lind (who's a nut about many things, but has savvy about the 
military and political aspects); LewRockwell.com (also full of nuts, 
but I like the anti-war anti-statist drift; altho often it's more 
entertaining. Occasionally Al-Jazeera, just to see what's slipped by 
the western media (altho Juan Cole often will pick up that stuff); 
antiwar.com
   Informed Comment is, in my judgment, more informative than just 
about any other site I've seen, in terms of the West/Middle East 
interface.

Answer 17: I get my news from different left wing sites on the net--guerrilla 
news network, democracy now transcripts, the guardian's website. I'll 
go to Riverbend's blog occasionally, and electronic intifada.

Answer 18: csis, ceip, nyt,csm, wash. post, stratfor, iisi, foreign affairs 
Informed Comment gives a detailed view of the war in Iraq.,

Answer 19: i try to get to nyt newspaper for iraq/ME information.  otherwise, 
numerous news blogs on current events and politics are my source. 
IC provides the best run down of important current topics

Answer 20: nytimes.com
thismodernworld.com
riverbendblog.blogspot.com
doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose
billmon.org
atrios.blogspot.com
reuters.com
latimes.com
as you can see many of the sites that i visit are very opinionated 
and actually funny sometimes in a sad sarcastic laugh so you don't 
cry kind of way.  ny times, la times rueters...mainstream.  did i 
forget to mention doonsbury.  well.  IC is sometimes a daunting, 
sometimes a dry read (oh, not always!).  but i commit to reading it 
almost everyday because he does the work to cover the country and 
region.  i believe that i need to know where my tax dollars are being 
spent even if i voted for gore/kerry, and even though i protested.  i 
am still paying out of my check every month and i want to know what 
is going on.

Answer 21: TV, AP, Reuters, and occassionaly the radio.

Answer 22: Al Jazeera, Arab News, Common Dreams, AlterNet, truthout.

Answer 23: truthout.org, antiwar.com, buzzflash.com, mainstream baptist. 
capitolhillblue.com

Answer 24: FT, NYtimes, BBC and economist

Answer 25:    Internet - .Daily kos, Atrios, the Agonist, Orcinus, Wretchard - 
Books  - Pipes, Rubin, Karen Armstrong , Bernard Said

Answer 26: national network news

Answer 27: Some other sources include the Iraq Coalition Casualties website, my 
newspaper,  television news, and the occasional book. IC often gives 
deeper insights or more detail on Iraq and Islam, and includes news 
and commentary from Arabic media.

Answer 28: i only read juans

Answer 29: Financial Times

Answer 30: I read al-Jazeera, the Afghan News Network, Saudi Times, Iran Scan, 
Brooding Persian, gulfnews, uruknet.info,  Arabist network, Ha'aretz, 
and Yasaar Sheikosalaami's site (http://yasaar.gotdns.org/forum/). I 
read some US media sources (e.g. MSNBC, Editor&Publisher) and some 
blogs. I also read the Guardian, BBC, and Reason.
Informed Comment helps me understand the context for things I read 
superficially in major media news sources. He helps me understand the 
various forces in Iraq that are making the news. If it wasn't for him 
I would think that every Sunni and Shia are fighting daily against 
each other. Juan digs deep behind these generalizations so that 
uninformed Americans like myself can start to understand.

Answer 31: NYTimes, other mainstream media, Common Dreams, BAGNotes.
Informed Comment is more focused on Middle East;  represents the 
comments of a single source that is well-understood by me;  and is 
daily.

Answer 32: Of the wide variety of online destinations I 
regularly read, too numerous to mention, and 
constantly changing, IC has maintained its place 
at the top of my online list from the beginning 
of my experience with it.  San Francisco 
Chronicle is my major offline source for Middle 
East news.

Answer 33: I read the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New York Reivew 
of Books,  the Guardian, the Economist, and the L.A. Times. I've also 
read several books on the Middle East in the last couple of years.

Answer 34: Foreign Affairs
Talkingpoints
Billmon
and during the first year of the war i read the blogs coming from 
Iraq, Al-Jezera, and especially the Guadian and Independent. Artlces 
from the New Yorker and NYRB of course. Cole was always the anchor 
for me, broad yet detailed, and a willingness to quote.

Answer 35: Aljazeera, the Daily Star, the Economist  and wherever.
IC is my first source on Iraq.

Answer 36: anti-war.com, commondreams.org. The Angry Arab News Service, 
Myafghan News. Xinhuanet, CNN, Globe and Mail. Guardian. Washington 
post Vheadline.com

Answer 37: New York Review of Books, New Yorker, Nation and New  Republic, 
NYT"s, books such as Assassins Gate

Answer 38: Truthout .com and  Huffington Post for blogs
Mainstream online CNN and New York Times
Jon Stewart and Bill Mayer on TV

Answer 39: NY Times, Washington Post, London Times, Guardian, Telegraph -- 
although if they have a really important story, IC will have it too. 
I check rawstory.com for breaking scandals.

Answer 40: My other major destinations for news/analysis/commentary on Iraq and 
the Middle East include The New Yorker, and, online, the NYT, 
Washington Post, Syria Comment, Perceval Press, BBC, The Guardian, 
and occasionally The Scotsman; also online I occasionally visit 
Arianna Huffington's blog though I find her shrill, but moving toward 
measured... On television, I appreciate PBS's Frontline programs and, 
usually, the Newshour.  Alas, or maybe not, I don't have cable.

Answer 41: i look at region- and issue-specific sites episodically, again 
visiting juan's site a bit more regularly

Answer 42: Billmon's Whiskey Bar...he comments about many things. I read 
Cursor.org., a news aggregator.  I read The Guardian online and 
listen to the BBC. depending on the topic, I'll visit one place or 
another. I read Riverbend to get a female/Iraqi pov. I find Robert 
Parryf is a very good source of info, and Greg Palast has good 
sources sometimes too.

Answer 43: Antiwar, Common Dreams, Znet,Counterpunch, Lew Rockwell, Asia Times, 
The Guardian.  Information Clearing House, Al Jazeerah
Informed Comment is an independent voice

Answer 44: www.tomdispatch.com, The Nation magazine website/magazine, Senate 
hearings as shown on C-Span.
IC appears to me to be the resource that other destinations rely on. 
I think Juan Cole is viewwd as the expert.

Answer 45: Asian Times, Capital Hill Blue, Time and Newsweek.

Answer 46: The New York Times, and then news web sites such as CNN, MSNBC, or 
web magazines such as Salon, Slate, sometimes news on the Huffington 
Post (many of the blogs are not all that interesting).
Informed Comment is exceptional because it offers a unique 
perspective from someone who is qualified to point out what is 
missing from much of the other coverage.

Answer 47: Antiwar.com and Josh Marshall.

Answer 48: I might go to the NY times or Washington Post but Informed Comment is 
my primary source of info on Iraq. Public broadcasting used to be a 
better source but the Right has recently so intimidated public TV and 
radio that they must now have their obligatory Right-wing spin doctor 
from one of the right-wing thinktanks or magazines.

Answer 49: An friend in the neighborhood who is from the region and keeps in 
touch with his friends, BBC, Salon,com, UK Guardian, UK Independent, 
icasualties.org, Iraq Body Count, and the usual wire services. I 
sometimes translate articles in European newspapers. IC is my primary 
source although I look at icasualties.org every day. I read the other 
sources if they catch my eye.

Answer 50: Destanitions= dailykos trouthout eschaton buzzflash therawstory, 
todayiniraq crooksandliars, americablog......others. mostly stated 
above.

Answer 51: I follow major newspapers.

Answer 52: I have no other Iraq specific blog I read

Answer 53: I use antiwar.com as a source for news articles and an occasional 
analysis. I watch CNN occasionally and tend to pay more attention to 
AFP news releases than to Reuters or AP (all via Yahoo and NYT). My 
other sources are all books.

Answer 54: New York Times, Atlantic, New Yorker, etc.  Juan goes deeper.

Answer 55: cursor.org and al jazerra's english language website.  Informmed 
Comment is similar to cursor.org and also adds Cole's analysis.

Answer 56: http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Answer 57: Too many to list but one of them is Caribbean Net News. I'm working 
on the case of an American women that apparently was sold into sex 
slavery about five years ago. They published an article of mine and 
are a good source of news for that very distrubed part of the world. 
Their picture of the region is almost opposite from what the normal 
news outlets are saying.

Answer 58: the Guardian, the Independent. Anti-war. com. IC is more detailed.

Answer 59: Informed Comment is my first source on Iraq and the ME, as the story 
is generally fresh and there are usually many links to follow form 
the site.  I also read the national and international papers online, 
as well as numerous blogs.

Answer 60: Informed Comment is my main source of information on Iraq. Not much 
is in main-stream media and what is there is usually squewed...

Answer 61: Riverbend's blog, the Huffington Post, Drudgereport, NYTimes, CNN, 
books by numerous authors, including Dillip Hiro (spelling?). The 
Daily Show, Nightline, This Week with Geoge Stephanapolous, World 
News Tonight. Informed comment provides resources the other 
sites/sources don't, including translations from arabic 
sites/sources. Professor Cole has also been cited by a number of 
those sources in recognition of his own expertise.

Answer 62: Cursor.org; Counterpunch.org; Warincontext.org; bbc.co.uk; 
stangoff.com; guerrillanews.com; New York Times; 
Thismodernworld.com...Informed Comment sometimes acts as a fact 
checking resource and deeper analysis of stories barely touched on by 
some of the major news outlets. Required daily reading.

Answer 63: IC is tops in my book!

Answer 64: Anti-war.com, major newspapers, and Informed comment.  I use informed 
comment to guage the depth and accuracy of usual news sources.

Answer 65: New York Times for columnists Bob Herbert and Nicholas Kristof, but 
not so much for news any more. Washington Post for news, Common 
Dreams & Working Assets  for news and opinion.

Answer 66: Yahoo News, New York Times,  The News Hour.

Answer 67: NEW YORK TIMES, BBC, NPR, Syria.comment.
i think of Informed Comment as my best and most reliable source for 
the Middle East, for Irag war, for the foreign policy of the Bush 
Admin.

Answer 68: angry arab blog, dahr jamail, ahmed rashid, robert fisk, channel 
4news(UK), al jazeera, abdel bari atwan.
IC, is always my first port of call, and more or less everything else 
is judged against the posts on IC.

Answer 69: IC is my prmary source for the Middle East, I read others about US 
politics in general, TPM (above) Teagan Goddard's Political Wire, 
Bull Moose, Kos, Eschaton, Slate

Answer 70: Asia Times. ATO is good for the most part, but not pithy.
The Guardian.

Answer 71: Iraqi blogs, Robert Fisk (when I can get him for free), The Scotsman, 
Just World News, Karen Kwiatkowski (for a libertarian intelligent 
military view),
Open Democracy(Paul Rogers).

Answer 72: I have a handful of history books for long-term perspective.  Google 
and the SF Chronicle have the latest news.  However, an embedded 
reporter or one holed up in a hotel room has to rely upon what he is 
told rather than what he is free to discover.  The Iraqi bloggers 
have been brave enough to speak out, but even they don't know what is 
happening beyond their streets.  The NYT is now a proven whore, 
offering excuses but failing to correct its course, so I look to 
almost any other paper for better research.  The foreign news sources 
will have their own lines of propaganda to spin.  With a variety of 
references, I can hopefully understand what is really going on.

Answer 73: The Economist  and Informed Comment for facts and analysis, then 
other blogs for debate.

Answer 74: I read many independent news media from non-american outlets. I also 
read some of the conservative blogs and peruse their news media ( you 
must know your enemy).

Answer 75: Other blogs. I get valid information from other blogs about Iraq but 
his is probably most prominent.

Answer 76: NYT, WP, Independent, Guardian, Der Spiegel.
His viewpoints are always interesting and at times condratic some of 
this information sources and it is good to get a variety of opinions.

Answer 77: BBC.  Blogs: Salam Pax, Riverbend, a few other Middle Eastern 
bloggers on occasion.  Informed comment provides the broadest 
coverage of the issues and the most context.

Answer 78: my favorite site is billmon's. i also read the newyorker and trust 
journalist sy hersh.
i read juan cole for informed comment. but i do find his writing dry 
and wouldn't classify it as entertaining.

Answer 79: outside of mainstream media this is it for me.

Answer 80: As above.

Answer 81: A very good question, really. I am an education blogger; I link to 
education blogs--of which 1 are of any substance, really.
My regular reads are "Clicked" on MSNBC.com, "Altercation" at the 
same site, and, my favorite, "Talking Points Memo" by Joshua Marshall.
In all honesty, TPM and Informed Comment are two peas in a pod, which 
is why they are #1 and #2 for me. Both writers possess the presence 
of mind--and very acute minds as far as I can tell--to wade through 
the evidence as they come to conclusions. But not only that.
THEY EDUCATE THEIR READERS.
Think about it. Do most sites dare to do this? Does the current POTUS 
try to do this? Think about it. No, I mean really think about it.

Answer 82: jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com
billmon.org

Answer 83: I still read the newspaper: Pittsburgh P-G daily and The Christian 
Science Monitor Fridays.  I read a half dozen or so political blogs 
daily and link through to articles there.  I also frequent talk 
politic.misc news group primarily to link through to news reports.  I 
also have a strong interest in Africa and end up at the BBC Web site 
daily.  Juan Cole provides important perspective from (for lack of a 
better term) and Arabist perspective.  Without his site, it would 
seem very difficult to have much of any idea how American actions are 
interpreted in the region.

Answer 84: Back to Iraq 3.0, aljazeera, democracyarsenal.org, new republic 
weblog, billmon,

Answer 85: Baghdad Burning particularly, Left I on the News, Cursor, Americablog

Answer 86: My top Three websites which I look at daily are Juan Cole, David 
Corn, and truthout.  Talking Points Memo has recently been falling 
rapidly in my esteem.  Offline, I am a regular reader of The 
NewYorker and the Washington Post Weekly.  I have enormous respect 
for the New Yorker; I don't think any other magazine can come close 
to the quality of its articles and editing.

Answer 87: Daily Kos and Laura Rozen's War and Piece.  These combined with IC is 
all you need to know what's going on.

Answer 88: The New York Times, C.N.N.,  The Los Angeles Times, the blog 
"Anti-war", "Democracy Now" (a program on the Pacifica netword). 
Informed comment ranks with Democracy Now in apparent authenticity.

Answer 89: Seymour Hersh, Greg Palast, sources suggested by DailyKos.com and 
CommonDreams.org. I even read the NY Times and the Washington Post 
occasionally.

Answer 90: The Economist, Financial Times, NY Times, New Yorker, Raed Jarrar.
IC is the most authoritative view I have found by an outsider (ie, 
non-Middle-Easterner)

Answer 91: The BBC website, and various British newspaper websites.  Most media 
coverage (in english) is American or British, and the American stuff 
is mostly flag-waving.  Informed Comment isn't, and he bases it in 
part on foreign language media that I otherwise would be ignorant of. 
So, it's a useful American perspective.

Answer 92: The conventional press (NYT, WashPo), informed writers like James 
Fallows in the Atlantic, Sy Hersh in The New Yorker, Mark Danner in 
the New York Review of Books (along with Tony Judt and others who 
write there), aljazeera.com, kurdishnewsmedia.com(?). But Professor 
Cole is essential to me in forming opinions about those other 
writings as he provides the facual underpinning I need to assess them.

Answer 93: I tend to monitor the mainstream media sites for reporting on the 
Middle East; I also read newspapers online from the region itself in 
English, Arabic and Turkish.  However, Informed Comment frequently 
covers much of that ground for me, and saves me the trouble of doing 
a lot of that work myself.

Answer 94: I do read the major newspapers (New York Times, LA Times, WA Post, & 
occasionally others), but I search the web through news services.  I 
used to read Robert Fisk regularly at the Independent until they 
charged.  I read Tom Dispatch as often as I can.  DailyKos and 
Talkingpointsmemo for the political perpective.  I have also been 
pointed to the non-fiction books that the web talks up such as 
Seymour Hersh & Steve Coll among many other.

Answer 95: Al Qaeda, Yahoo! News, Peyamnar, Al Mendhar, The Kurdistani, Speigel, 
Gulf Times Newspaper.  Informed Comment provides analysis and makes a 
coherent picture rather than introducing items as either entirely 
separate or further proof of a plot/agenda.

Answer 96: The foreign press, specially The Guardian and The Independent in the 
UK. Coverage in The Atlantic Monthly.

Answer 97: I usually check the BBC and, Aljazeera mainly, and occasionally CNN. 
IC provides a better depth and breadth of the topic and are less 
constrained by saying the politically corret line. It is possibly 
that IC stand against the war in Iraq and its suspecion of the 
adminstration of Bush that made it very attractive to me, as I have 
these position too.

Answer 98: NY Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, London
Times, The Independent, The Guardian, Islam Online, Aljazeera.Net 
English, BBC News, Baghdad Burning, The Huffington Post, Capitol Hill 
Blue and Counterpunch. IC is often quoted in some, so he fits in 
nicely.

Answer 99: Informed Comment is at the head of my 'Bookmark' list.  I get most 
news online from agregators, such as Whatreallyhappened.com 
Recently, I have been reading TalkingPointsMemo, regularly

Answer 100: the daily show / buzzflash / huffington post / today in iraq / 
froomkin's white house briefing / knight ridder washington bureau / 
information clearinghouse / whatreallyhappened / the war in context / 
one thousand reasons / antiwar.com / seymour hersh / james carroll / 
bob herbert / paul krugman / tom dispatch ( Great 2 part interview 
recently with Prof. Cole ) / truthout / consortium news / interpress 
service / al jazeera / get your war on / needlenose / ny review of 
books / alterman's altercation / billmon's whiskey bar / the new 
yorker.
IC is my first blog stop - Prof. Cole's language and translation 
abilities provide me a look at the news from the Arab world that i 
would not have. Prof. Cole looks behind / past the headlines and 
tells me what he thinks / deduces is really going on.

Answer 101: agonist.org, backToIraq, news.bbc.co.uk, sometimes alJazeera  and 
CNN. InformedComment is my main source for news about iraq, the 
others are either more general or are interesting because of first 
hand accounts (backToIraq)

Answer 102: My other main news source is the BBC - mostly online

Answer 103: The Economist, Al-Jazeera website and channel, UK and US Government 
sites. IC is a good overarching site that fills gaps and sheds 
greater light on detailed issues.

Answer 104: NewYorker Magazine , Antiwar.com. The Nation .Counterpunch.com.Salon.com.
informed comment is the best one .

Answer 105: Truthout, Kos, Cursor, costofwar, Iraq Coalition casualties, even Drudge.

Answer 106: I read several other Middle Eastern blogs as well as the Nation 
Magazine and several newspapers.

Answer 107: Common Dreams, AlterNet, Counterpunch, Baghdad Burning, Iraq 
Dispatches (when Jamail was in Iraq).  Articles on the first three 
sites often have interesting analyses on specific issues related to 
Iraq.  Cole, by contrast, keeps a running log each day of what's 
going on, and, because he can read Arabic newspapers and has contacts 
in the region, I believe that he is better informed about  the Middle 
East.  Because he has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle 
East, I feel he has greater understanding of and sympathy with the 
people there.
For further understanding of people in Iraq I look to the remarkable 
commentaries of Baghdad Burning and formerly to Jamail's Dispatches.

Answer 108: I also read this one: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ and 
kuro5hin.org, which had quite a collection of articles about Iraq 
some time ago
Ocasionally, I try to read pravda.ru (more for entertainment) and Al 
Jazeera (english)

Answer 109: IC is my destination for Iraq/War on Terra (well, Riverbend, but she 
rarely blogs at all these days, and, of course, it's a different 
thing -- her life, her views, not an attempt to be comprehensive).

Answer 110: America Blog, Josh Marshall, Daily Kos, Andrew Sullivan - several 
others. Informed Comment underpins my opinions about the Middle East 
and is the primary source of my information.

Answer 111: NY Times, Wash Post, British and German press, Agonist, Daily Kos, 
Eschaton, Talking Points Memo, TPM Cafe, Hullaballoo, Billmon, Little 
Professor, Brad de Long, and some 100 other blogs. At the top of the 
list are Juan Cole, Brad de Long, and a handful of the above.

Answer 112: News: Washington Post, NY Times
Blog: Baghdad Burning (by Riverbend, a resident of Baghdad) & Informed Comment.
For most of the Iraq war WaPo and NYT's reporting has been abysmal. 
Riverbend's posts are sporadic but mostly indicate to me the 
experiences and  concerns of the average citizen. Informed Comment is 
my major source for news links and analysis in the cultural and 
historical contexts.

Answer 113: IC would be be my main source on the Middle East. Others are Asia 
Times and some material published online in Bahasa.

Answer 114: New York Times.  Andrew Sullivan.  Walll Street Journal.  He more 
knowledgeable than any  other source of which I am aware.

Answer 115: Hmmm.  I live in the Middle East so I don't always need Internet 
commentary on it.  I read Abu Aardvark for media related stuff and 
"public diplomacy" related stuff because I used to be a "public 
diplomacy" foreign service officer.  I read Asad Abu Khalil just 
because he is so sarcastic.  I don't trust most US based coverage of 
MENA.  I recently discovered the 'Aqoul website and really enjoy it. 
Informed Comment is my one stop shopping center for info on Iraq 
specifically.

Answer 116: Arabic news papers, NY Times, WP.
Informed Comments is in class by itself.

Answer 117: I read IC every morning immediately after Antiwar.com.  Other sites I 
read are Defense and the National Interest, Haartez, Lewrockwell, 
Drudgereport, Huffingtonpost, Cato Institute.

Answer 118: NYT, LA Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Financial Times, Foreign 
Affairs, The Economist, The Nation, Ha'aretz, Al Ahram. As I said, IC 
is source whereas many other articles are commentary and 
derivative...who would trust anything Judith Miller writes...or 
others such as Fox News or the Murdoch stable?

Answer 119: On line: Truthout.org, Marshall's Talkingpointsmemo, Michael 
Berube.com, Billmon. Offline: NY Times, WashingtonPost, NYReview of 
Books, NPR. Unlike NPR and NYTimes, Cole doesn't feel the need to pay 
lip service to balance.  Save me the balance; give me your informed 
judgment.  The online sources I visit regularly are also great, but 
nobody gives us an exclusive a view of the region and the war and its 
consequences as Cole.

Answer 120: The Guardian, BBC, al-Jazeera.net, Knight-Ridder, Ha'aretz, WaPo, 
NYT, anything by Seymour Hersh, war-on-errorism, justworldnews, war 
and piece.  I read informedcomment first, most days.

Answer 121: Online: IC, Just World News, Back to Iraq; anything by Robert Fisk, 
Josh Landis; Head Heeb
Offline: not so much; have other work

Answer 122: Tomdispatch, The Nation, The Guardian, Watching America, Common 
Dreams.  Reading the sources mentioned in articles in these sites.

Answer 123: Generally just the news papers which have none of the depth that Juan offers.

Answer 124: Various foreign press in general.

Answer 125: IC is the most valuable resource but others such as Back to Iraq 3.0, 
the indispensable Baghdad Burning and other blogs by Iraqis along 
with commentary by other more general blogs fill in the gaps

Answer 126: I read as much a variety of sources as I can online. A member of my 
household takes various magazines which support the Neoconservative 
position so I am confronted with what I consider opposition material 
galore. I look for news wherever and do check whenever I can for 
accuracy of reporting. The Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, US News and 
World Report  are written sourcs. The Christian Science Monitor, New 
York Times, Washington Post, you-name-it online. I get emails from 
friends and family around the world with urls to follow. I use the 
Drudge Report, Information Clearing House, MotherJones, Al-Jazeera, 
Al-Manar, etc., which might send me around the world to online 
newspapers everywhere.

Answer 127: I read articles on the Drudge Report, and the Drudge Retort, and the 
New York Times online (the still free stuff).  I'm relatively new to 
Informed Content.  Not really that much, but I am surprisingly more 
informed than LOTS of people.

Answer 128: Dilip Hero, Walter Pincus and Wash Post, Edward Wong and NYT, AP, CNN 
internal wires, and somewhere Yossef Bodansky, as both speculation 
and background.  I work at CNN.  I turn to Mr. Cole before our people 
for analysis, if only because analysis is not always what we seem to 
be trying to do.

Answer 129: Other blogs: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ and 
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
News sources: 
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/default.stm
http://www.cnn.com/
http://www.guerrillanews.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/
Activist sites:
http://www.amnesty.org/
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Other informational sources: http://www.mideastweb.org/history.htm 
and http://www.islamonline.net/English/index.shtml

Answer 130: The News Hour (PBS)
The New York Times
The Nation
NPR
Democracy Now!
Iraq Coalition Casualties (.com)
The Christian Science Monitor online (Terrorism and Security updates 
by Tom Regan)

Answer 131: atrios.blogspot.com, dailykos.com, digbysblog.blogspot.com, 
antiwar.com, jameswolcott.com, buzzflash.com, huffingtonpost.com, 
lewrockwell.com, rawstory.com, liberaloasis.com, 
altercation.msnbc.com.  Juan Cole adds to this with valuable 
knowledge on Iraqi politics otherwise obscured or ignored by 
mainstream emptiness.

Answer 132: Some print or online editions of newspapers such as the NY Times, LA 
Times, Wash. Post,  and the Guardian (UK); the BBC website; 
Salon.com; the Slate; TNR; TomDispatch; TruthOut; AlterNet.  IC is 
often cross-referenced by these sites, and Dr. Cole sometimes writes 
for salon.com.  IC is a good fit among these sources.

Answer 133: IC is one of my top resources, NPR, PBS (Frontline specifically), 
Christian Science Monitor

Answer 134: NPR, PBS Newshour, Guardian Weekly paper, BBC World Service, 
buzzflash links, truthout links, MERIP, New Yorker,  anything by Sy 
Hersh, Robert Fisk
IC is the first thing I read because 1) it serves as such a good 
overview and 2) I have been pretty much obsessed with the Iraq issue 
since early 2002 drumbeating started

Answer 135: Information Clearing House, TomPaine, Truthout, Common Dreams, Forest 
for the Trees, LeftCoaster, TPM Cafe,Human Events, Townhall.  I don't 
read them all daily just ICH and IC...the NYT and the WaPo

Answer 136: Slate.com gives me daily news digests.  Helpful, but not very in depth.
Truthout.com allows me to read any relevant news items concerning the 
war and the administration.
bagnewsnotes.com is a great site dedicated to images in the media.
onegoodmove.org is nice to lighten things up with some video clips.
Juancole is very focused on middle east history and current events 
and is by far the most in depth.

Answer 137: I start the morning with Informed Comment - normally going off and 
reading some of his links.  Dailykos provides my look at American 
political comment.  Then I check out a number of sites to see if 
there are any entries:  Baghdad Burning, Back-to-Iraq, Raed in the 
Middle, and often the Guardian and various Middle East news sites 
like Al-Jazeera just to scan the headlines.
Informed Comment provides my... informed comment... just as the title says.

Answer 138: I used to read counterpunch.org, but rarely do so any longer.  I also 
read slate.com regularly but it rarely covers middle east issues and 
does so badly.  The LA Times and NY Times are the papers I read the 
most frequently.

Answer 139: BBC online, NY Times hard copy.
BBC online - an easier-to-understand version. Juan Cole often assumes 
that the reader knows a lot about  Iraq already.
NYTimes hard copy - lots of detail that a blog can't convey. In 
general the internet is wide and hard copy (books in particular) are 
deep.

Answer 140: I belong to the Medeast Task Force of the Interfaith Council for 
Peace and Justice and receive a variety of reports.  Our Unitarian 
Universalist Justice in the Middle East also has good coverage of 
various newspapers, etc.

Answer 141: I read Karen Kwiatkowski, Pat Buchanan, Antiwar.com, Truthout.org, 
anything by Jim Lobe, and many other sources. I do not go "offline" 
for news, analysis, or commentary.

Answer 142: BBC, Washintonpost, NYTimes, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign 
Affairs Journal, Josh Marshall.....

Answer 143: Imformed Comment is my primary source.  I also read Bagdad Burning, 
Back to Iraq, the Guardian online. There are very few reliable North 
American sources.

Answer 144: The NYT, WP, LAT are the best US newspapers. Guardian, Telegraph and 
Independant in UK. English language Al Ahram (Egypt) and Daily Star 
(Lebanon). The New Yorker was good, but has stalled recently. Same 
with New Republic. Foreign Affairs is essential. Cole offers English 
translation of Arab papers. No one does it as well. He also analyzes 
English press.

Answer 145: I pretty much rely only on Informed Comment -- I trust the scope of 
the site to tell me what I need to know on Iraq.

Answer 146: NY Times.

Answer 147: Baghdad Burning, when she is able to write, is the only online source
specifically on the war; I look at BBC

Answer 148: http://www.semitism.net/
http://www.intel-dump.com/
http://www.warandpiece.com/
http://www.waynemadsen.com
Many others who comment off & on.
Juan Cole's focus, use of history, and continuous posting is what 
distinguishes him.
HOW DOES HE FIND THE TIME?!

Answer 149: Today in Iraq, Billmon, Daily Kos, Eschaton/Atrios, Guardian, and a 
dozen or so more. I read all of these every day. Informed comment is 
near the top of my list.

Answer 150: I read the New York Times and the Christian 
Science Monitor.  I watch some documentaries on 
PBS (Frontline, POV, NOW). I listen to NPR. 
Mainly I follow links from Informed Comment.

Answer 151: talkingpointsmemo, thewashingtonnote, counterpunch, truthout., 
sometimes aljazeera, certainly New York Times--though the more I know 
about the subject, the less that I learn from the last source. I also 
read or listen to about 100 books per year, about 1/4 on the subjects 
you list.

Answer 152: It's the first resource I consult.

Answer 153: IC is one of four of my daily online requirements for news on Iraq 
and otherwise, the other three being antiwar.com, buzzflash.com, and 
talkingpointsmemo.com.   (Several times a week I'll visit 
huffingtonpost.com., and take various wanderings to other online 
sources through links to all these sites.)  Antiwar and IC are my 
primary news sources for Iraq and all things related; 
talkingpointsmemo more for political news; and buzzflash for more 
general coverage (mostly political) of international, national and 
selected local news.
In many ways, Cole/IC is to my Iraq news junkiness as Josh 
Marshall/talkingpointsmemo.com is to my political news junkiness.  In 
both instances, I value and trust their insight and commentary as it 
relates to the MSM news.  Justin Raimondo et al. and antiwar.com are 
similar in many respects, but is less personal than Cole's and 
Marshall's sites.  (Marshall's expanded offering at TPM Cafe is a 
little too unfocussed and all over the place, for my taste.  For such 
all-over-the-place news, I like buzzflash.)

Answer 154: Australian - ABC - Dateline - Independent Co UK - Guardian - BBC - 
Unfortunately most American news is government newspeak tainted - 
though it does seem in the last week to be resurfacing from 5 years 
of sleep.

Answer 155: the economist, BBC online, daily papers and online papers-WA Post, NYT, etc

Answer 156: BBC, Deutsche Welle, Le Monde, al-Jazeera. Informed Comment is the 
only US-based source I read for news regarding the Middle East.

Answer 157: IC is my main source. I frequently follow links from IC. I don't 
trust but I read mainstream medias, to know what they say. I read 
msnbc regularily without trusting it too much.

Answer 158: Currently I am so busy it is my only source

Answer 159: Aljazeera.net
Democracynow.org
dahrjamailiraq.com

Answer 160: My major sources are Juan Cole, antiwar.com, and books.  Antiwar.com 
being a news aggregator which selects noteworthy articles from the 
mainstream press which explain the situation in various conflict 
zones.  From my experience, Knight Ridder is the mainstream press 
agency with the best Iraq coverage.

Answer 161: salon.com
defense tech
moderate voice
talking points memo
free republic

Answer 162: Asia Times online
Counterpunch
NY Times
Informed Comment is less ideological than NY TImes or Counterpunch.

Answer 163: www.crooksandliars.com, www.whatreallyhappened.com, 
www.capitolhillblue.com, Wayne Madsen Report, NY Times.
IC is the best for Iraq info.

Answer 164: The only other source would be Intel Dump

Answer 165: daily kos, talkingpointsmemo, Znet, CJR Daily, Buzzflash, Crooks and 
Liars, Peter Dale Scott's political webpage, alternet, commondreams, 
Air America........Informed Comment is the tip of the phalanx because 
it's the most incisive and intensely focused source of the latest 
information on Iraq and Middle East.

Answer 166: Daily Kos, Talking points memo------intelligent, informed 
investigative reporting.

Answer 167: BBC World Service, BBCnews.com, Reuters and AFP as delivered by 
Yahoo!news, Google News sometimes.

Answer 168: Major newspapers, books and other blogs.   IC stands out for the 
depth of the knowledge behind it.

Answer 169: I watch CNN, but they have so little coverage of the war, and almost 
none of it in depth.  I watch CSPAN, but again there is so little 
about the war.  Really, where else would I go?  Mainly, I follow 
links recommended by Professor Cole.  I think it would be fair to say 
that he is my primary source of information about Iraq.
Of course, it's a different story where news about the 
Israel/Palestine conflict is concerned.  For that conflict, most of 
the major incidents are reported to an extent in the news, and I have 
a sense of the history of the conflict having grown up with it.  (I 
am 52--almost the same age as Israel.)

Answer 170: Times, TomDispatch, al-jazeera, various papers, The Jerusalem 
Post......NPR, The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly.....Guardian, and 
sometimes the Village Voice, The Times of London, and other papers in 
the event......

Answer 171: I feel this question takes the wrong angle. I do not read Cole as 
part of a collection of resources with "Irak and the Mideast" on the 
label. See ans. to q. 2.
FWIW, I read the Wall Sreet Journal, the Judy Miller Times, War In 
Context, the Monitor's Daily Update and Cursor, to which I was 
pointed by Cole.

Answer 172: BBC, The Guardian, Middle East Specialists at Newsweek, Time, LA times, etc.

Answer 173: www.spiegel.de (German news magazine); Washington Post; NYT

Answer 174: Yahoo, Reuters, New York Times, and eashington Post.

Answer 175: al-jezeera, cnn, etc..

Answer 176: Blogs:
Abu Aardvark
Sphinx
Joshua Landis' Syria Comment
Arabist Network
Baheyya
Helena Cobban Just World News
Newspapers
Le Monde Diplomatique (Paris)
L'Orient-Le Jour (Beirut)
Le Monde (Paris)
La Repubblica (Rome)
BBC
Journals
New Left Review
London Review of Books

Answer 177: Iraq Occupation and Resistance Report (Good frequently updated links 
to news/analysis  stories but inane comments). Coalition Casualty 
Count News (Links to news stories). Fairly often visit military.com 
forums. TV - BBC News also watch O'Reilly, Fox News. Newspapers - 
Independent (UK) mainly.

Answer 178: I also read Antiwar.com (which discusses the Middle East a lot 
because of the current Iraq disaster) and Frontpagemag.com (mostly to 
find out what the people on "the other side" are saying and 
sometimes, to be honest, for laughs).

Answer 179: Whatreallyhappened . com,   Reason, The Atlantic,
Informed Comment is a good blog, WRH searches for news and saves me 
time.  Reason gives me the Libertarian version, The Atlantic gives me 
in depth articles.

Answer 180: NY times, WPost, reuters, al Jazeera, Christian Science Monitor, BBC, 
Independent, tomdispatch, global secutiry, Jane's, Economist, Toronto 
Globe & Mail, various authors, my daughter Laura Marks who teaches 
contemporary art and culture at Simon Fraser

Answer 181: Antiwar.com, uruknet.info, counterpunch.org, 
informationclearinghouse.info, globalresearch.ca and mailing lists 
(MERIP, various Yahoo groups)

Answer 182: Sometimes I look at Al Jazeera (english), though not specifically for 
Middle East commentary (I like their science coverage).
I occasionally look to riverbend & DahrJamail.  I like their 
firsthand accounts.
IC gives a more academic and historical perspective.

Answer 183: CNN, NY Times, Washington Post, MSNBC on-line

Answer 184: Counterpunch, Antiwar.com, Common Dreams, Truth Out, NYT, American 
Conservative, Scott Ritter.......
But I always read IC first........no question.

Answer 185: CNN, NYTimes, Washington Post, aljazeera.net.
IC differs from all of those because he provides the facts and then 
actually draws conclusions from those facts.

Answer 186: Major news outlets - generally through Google News. I find 
Agonist.org is also a good consolidator of news stories. Talk Point 
Memo also touches on Middle East topics from a Washington perspective.

Answer 187: Antiwar.com is a primary source. Sometimes I see information I 
question that can be checked at informed comment.

Answer 188: I read www.tomdispatch com, www.salon.com and www.stratfor.com when I 
need different angles on Iraq and the region.

Answer 189: Informed Comment often links me to the source reporting on which he 
is commenting. Formally, his paragraphs tend to go "*Link to news 
source.* Several sentences of context, translation, or analysis." So 
you can, if interested, follow up, and his analysis has given you the 
background you need to be a good reader of the article.
My main news sources are Google News and Yahoo News. I read Al 
Jazeera and the New York Times.

Answer 190: I have tabbed bookmarks in Safari - one click and 40+ blogs load into 
tabs - IC is the first - other favs ... War in Context, Today in 
Iraq, TomDispatch, Talking Points Memo, River Bend, Dahr Jamail ... I 
can send you the list if you want, don't have time to type it all up.

Answer 191: I am desperate for some thruth

Answer 192: Angry Arab News,  Arabesque  very good, Palestine Chronicle and 
reading Robert Fisk where every I can find him.

Answer 193: NY Times, LA Times, Commondreams.org, Anti-war.com.
Informed comment fits right in with all of those.  I read each of 
them every day.

Answer 194: Informed Comment is my main source for the Middle East, although I 
usually get information from the New York Times, the BBC, NPR, and 
the online versions of two italian dailies ("La Repubblica" and "Il 
Manifesto"), plus two blogs related to politics and world affairs 
("Talking Points Memo" and the italian "Pfaall") which occasionally 
deal with Iraq

Answer 195: atimes.com, nytimes.com and  bbc. IC has more knowledge and often 
takes up things that is newer mentioned elsewhere.

Answer 196: Baghdad Burning, Today in Iraq, Just World News, War Nerd...

Answer 197: I read several newspapers and magazines (NYT, Wash. Post, LA Times, 
the Nation, Atlantic, New Yorker). IC is more pointed, but it 
ceratinly flushes out information found elsewhere.

Answer 198: IC is very high on my list. I read online (professional and 
non-professional sites), newsprint, polit journals, and listen to 
numerous domestic (US) and international streaming radio reports.

Answer 199: My girlfriend's father.

Answer 200: NYTimes, WaPost, Guardian, Economist, FinancialTimes, Asia  Times, Al 
Jazeera, Stern, Deutsche Welle, Washington Monthly,

Answer 201: nyt and wash post, not much else

Answer 202: I read a variety of different "hard news" sources collated by google 
news and I also rely on compendia of news gathered by 
www.antiwar.com.  Juan's site gives much more perspective on the 
context of the news than do most other news sources.

Answer 203: Online versions of NY Times, Washington Post, BBC, Guardian, and 
Aljazeera. Informed Comment is far more personal, in-depth, and 
current.

Answer 204: Tow sources:

Answer 205: Radio Sawa, Salon.com, Many Iraqi websites. It fits very well. I am 
very interested in learning about Dr. Cole's opinion on Iraqi issues.

Answer 206: Salon.  New York Times.  BBC.
Informed Comment is an opinion site but well reasoned opinions.

Answer 207: billmon,talkingpointsmemo,paul krugman,atrios,nytimes
Informed Comment is my daily perspective on Iraq.

Answer 208: Dana Priest, Robin Wright, Hannah Alam, Sy Hersh, Ted Koppel. 
Informed Consent is more comprehensive and up to date, but less 
investigational.

Answer 209: I daily read from the Washington Post and Slate and cruise 
occasionally other web sites and bloggers. But Informed Comment and 
the Washington Post are my two mainstays. I look to the Post for an 
overview of developments and op-ed essays from moderates, liberals, 
and conservatives. I look to Informed Comment for more in-depth 
coverage that helps me evaluate views presented in the mainstream 
media.

Answer 210: truthout.org, buzzflash.com, dailykos, theagonist, CNN, BBC, I read a 
Dutch newspaper, I listen to the radio and watch TV. And I read 
books. I'm a history student.

Answer 211: bbcnews.com, informationclearinghouse.info, and counterpunch.org, i 
occasionally read haaretz, the independent, and the guardian.  IC 
complements the other sites, esp infoclearing house and bbc with 
sometimes more in depth analysis and always the extra perspective of 
an expert

Answer 212: www.washingtonmonthly.com
regular newspaper websites (NY Times, WA Post, etc.)
www.watchingamerica.com

Answer 213: too many to list.

Answer 214: Others include salon.com and very occasionally, Aljazeera.  Informed 
Comment, however, is the primary source that I go to.

Answer 215: Others include salon.com and very occasionally, Aljazeera.  Informed 
Comment, however, is the primary source that I go to.

Answer 216: Middle East Report Online

Answer 217: Truthout - political theory daily. I turn to IC first and its part of 
my network

Answer 218: today in iraq
defence tech
tom's dispatch
TPM cafe

Answer 219: #1 go to place. Ha'aretz is another source for me, as well as the 
major US papers (NYT, Wash Post, LA Times) Also Foreign Affairs 
magazine.

Answer 220: I read IC first thing, then I visit other news blogs. I consider IC 
the fact based reporting that I will use for reference.

Answer 221: atrios, dailykos, back to Iraq 3.0, antiwar.org

Answer 222: Informed Comment is my first stop for ME issues, and where I go after 
reading something in the mainstream press. For that I usually read 
NYT, WaPo, FT, Le Monde, LA Times.

Answer 223: I have tabbed bookmarks in Safari - one click and 40+ blogs load into 
tabs - IC is the first - other favs ... War in Context, Today in 
Iraq, TomDispatch, Talking Points Memo, River Bend, Dahr Jamail ... I 
can send you the list if you want, don't have time to type it all up.

Answer 224: practically non ... as any other readable analysis simply refers back to JC.

Answer 225: Antiwar.com, Huffingtonpost, DailyKos, The Corner (just to keep my 
blood pressure up), Crooks and Liars.  Antiwar and Huff are primarily 
news collection sites.  Prof. Cole is one of the few out there who 
speaks Arabic, does not hate Arabs, and knows what he's talking 
about.  I trust almost no one on the middle east -- most seem 
ignorant at best.

Answer 226: C-Span, Rawstory, MediaMatters,CNN.  For me IC is neither left or 
right.  I use IC as filter.

Answer 227: Riverbend's Baghdad Burning, ArabNews.com, Haaretz.com, 
AlJazeera.net, Zaman.com, Dawn.com. I read Prof. Cole's site to get a 
reasonably objective American viewpoint with analysis, particularly 
of the political and religious developments. He also reports 
information which is unavailable on English-language sites.

Answer 228: N.Y. Times, MERIP, NPR, PBS, Foreign Affairs, Nation
It scares me, but I trust Informed Comment blindly.

Answer 229: Informed Comment is always the first site that I visit, and the one 
that I regard as the most important to read. I also regularly read 
the Asia Times, the New York Times, Time and Newsweek, and the BBC 
(as well as the many sites which Prof. Cole regularly links to from 
"Informed Comment").

Answer 230: I read parts of the major US newspapers, my local paper, which 
carries articles from many media sources, sometimes the Guardian, 
Paul Krugman, Bob Herbert, Frank Rich - not so easily since the NYT 
makes you pay - Molly Ivins, James Carroll, Helen Thomas, E. J. 
Dionne.  Cole gives the best insight and commentary on news coverage 
of the ME.

5) Can you describe the essential difference, if any, between reading 
about Iraq in Informed Comment and reading about it in the newspaper 
or magazines.

Answer 1: The biggest difference is the lack of a presumption of objectivity in 
IC, or any other blog. Dr. Cole is presenting Informed Opinion and so 
I try to keep my "bullshit detector" on high.

Answer 2: You are of course joking.  There is no comparison between actual 
events and the pablum that passes for news in this country.

Answer 3: The local Detroit newspapers touch on the highlights.  Juan Cole 
fleshes everything out with his expertise and sources.  I hadn't 
thought about it before, but I guess he is teaching us without our 
having to attend his classes.

Answer 4: his posts and international time zones as he explained in a recent 
inteview piece--his specific focus

Answer 5: The media is shallow, sensational and provide biased information.
Juan provides thoughtful reasons and information for consideration by 
the reader.

Answer 6: Timeliness and detail of coverage.

Answer 7: The range of sources is much greater than found in a single news 
publication. The opinion reflects a much more profound understanding 
of the culture and the history of Iraq and the area in general.

Answer 8: Corporate bias is eliminated at Informed Comment, getting information 
that has been analyzed by an actual expert in the middle east is 
quite important.

Answer 9: I have abandoned mainstream media, especially TV.  Although some 
newspaper and magazine reporting has not descended to the 
infotainment status of TV reporting, I've lost interest in sifting 
the good from the bad.  With IC I don't have to.

Answer 10: Newspaper articles/network news tends to be biased on whatever 
propaganda is coming out of the White House/Pentagon press rooms 
today.

Answer 11: Juan Cole provides references to various news articles and informed 
commentary.  He is more "hard hitting" than news reporters.

Answer 12: The information in Informed consent is more up to the minute.

Answer 13: Cole's voice is his own--his expertise is unique--he has no 
advertisers to please/offend.

Answer 14: IC certainly has a slant. Opposing the war, not necessarily for 
immediate withdrawal. A determination to understand the Iraqi's 
multiple perspectives. Most newspaper and even magazine articles can 
only do so much of that. Its a constant analysis versus the one off 
snap shot analysis of a writer.

Answer 15: He is to the point and tells it how it really is.  Then he gives his 
opinion as to how this or that is going to affect the situation.  I 
think he is open and honest and I have learned so much from him.  I 
know a lot more about Iraq than the average person and it is because 
of reading IC.

Answer 16: He could be a columnist writing for a newspaper or magazine, I 
suppose. That might or might not affect his content, depending on the 
organization and its individuals.  His own blog, though, is not 
subject to such influences, whether malign or benign.

Answer 17: The mainstream media makes me want to vomit. Informed Comment makes 
me want to cry.

Answer 18: Prof. Cole is an expert on the Shia and his insights about the 
situation in Iraq are therefore more meaningful to me than many other 
sources..

Answer 19: i depend on IC for prioritizing the issues that affect US policy  and events

Answer 20: in news papers there is no indepth coverage of how what happens today 
is interwoven with what happened 5, 10, 20, 50 years ago.  i find 
that mainstream media coverage is very short sighted.  magazines give 
more indepth perspective, but not good daily coverage.  with IC i 
feel like i am getting both.

Answer 21: I know this is a canned report from the military to a bunch of 
reporters holed up in Baghdad and he doesn't have an agenda.

Answer 22: Newspapers and magazines are by and large beholden to corporate, if 
not political interests.  Left or right, it is hard to escape bias 
when someone else is buttering your bread.

Answer 23: Much more depth in Cole's reporting and support for his opinions. He 
is a scholar who know what he is talking about. He has many years 
experience in the Middle East.

Answer 24: you get a sense of a develping thread even though each entry is just 
a shot.  pay attention to the trajectory..  his trajectory hunts.

Answer 25: Newspapers seldom present much except the 'White House 'line. Dr Cole 
presents the other half - or three quarters of the picture. Also his 
summaries of arab newspapers provide a view from the 'far side of the 
mess.

Answer 26: Opinions such as Prof. Cole's are hard to come by in the mainstream press

Answer 27: IC, like all blogs, is more timely even than newspapers, which I 
appreciate when I'm curious about something that happened that day. 
I also appreciate being able to read the daily thoughts of someone 
who seems to have much academic and practical experience on the 
issues.

Answer 28: our newspapers tell what sells newspapers likewise mags with a 
national bent. juan tells like it is

Answer 29: The blog is targeted

Answer 30: The essential difference is specificty. For example, because of Juan 
Cole I understand the difference between Badr brigades and Sadr's 
militias. He explains them by addressing their history. American 
media is extremely weak on historic context, I'm glad to see someone 
casting events in their historical specificity.

Answer 31: Same as Number 4 above.

Answer 32: Built-in PC-related research aids in addition to 
author-supplied hyperlinks -- e.g. search engine, 
dictionary, find, etc.

Answer 33: Because Cole posts daily, reading his site regularly gives me a 
baseline on what's going on in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Answer 34: More alive, more balanced, not needing to make a ehadline,  or find 
an angle, as narrative it is superior.

Answer 35: Most info is short and to the point with links to sources and other commentary.

Answer 36: Unformed comment can go into more detail and take little side 
investigations of movements and personalities.

Answer 37: More detail, up to the moment, and more deeply informed from 
historical and linguistic perspectives

Answer 38: IC is not as easy to read because it is more explanatory. Also you 
include more about the complexity of the situation and the history of 
the region - which is good and desperately needed.

Answer 39: IC is written by someone with education and experience in Middle 
Eastern affairs, not by a journalist.

Answer 40: The sense I get from reading Informed Comment is that this situation 
in Iraq, and throughout the Middle East, is one that Juan Cole cares 
about personally as well as professionally; as a scholar, he has a 
grasp of the history of the area that's invaluable, and of the 
language, which is such a strong, vivid cultural marker and offers 
this reader hints of the human struggles, on both sides, relating to 
meaning, which is based upon and derived from language.  As a 
blogger, Professor Cole's language is conversational, professional, 
and concerned; it's a difficult combination of qualities to achieve 
and to maintain, and he does it well, indeed.

Answer 41: cultural, historical competence

Answer 42: I lost faith in most reporting in newspapers when Greg Palast, in 
Jan. 2002,  predicted a coup attempt against Chavez. Sure enough, in 
April, there was a coup. The NYT printed the Bush propaganda about 
the coup attempt, then had to retract and buried the item on page 27 
or so. Then there was Judith Miller. TV news is worthless...I 
generally don't bother anymore. Knight-Ridder has some good things 
online.

Answer 43:   Mostly it points to other sources  and delivers  a more 
comprehensive set of references

Answer 44: IC is usually posted in the morning, so I can grab a cup of coffee 
and sit down and find out what happened in the last 12 hours. It has 
hyperlinks to other sources so I immediately go to those. It's 
personal, meaning that Juan Cole lets who he is show a bit.

Answer 45: Newspapers, until last week, have ben in bed with administration and 
only push one side of the argument. Juan Cole gets his info from 
trusted people on the ground to which he adds his wisdom

Answer 46: The only real difference is the blog can offer links to the sources 
that are cited.

Answer 47: I believe Informed comment provides a more truthful and less biased 
analysis.  Much of mainsteam american media is controlled by large 
corporate interests dependent on the good will of our government.  I 
also think mainstream journalists are more interested in being privy 
to inside Washington information then in telling the truth. 
Plamegate and Judy Miller are examples.

Answer 48: Newspapers and magazines I believe tend to too often parrot either 
the administration line or just the most repeated cliches. It is 
EXTREMELY difficult to find anyone in the press these days who is 
willing to stick their neck out and do the hard investigative work 
that Juan Cole does. Unfortunately there are no Edward R. Murrows any 
longer, not even any Walter Cronkites.

Answer 49: The commentary seems informed and provides a present day and 
historical context and does not seem to be a rehash of press 
releases. Additionally, dissenting opinions are published.

Answer 50: one side (America's side) is always given without challenge, 
everywhere else,  Mr Cole gives a more reasoned argument without 
fluff or bravado.

Answer 51: Juan Cole gives links to so many sources that I would not have heard 
about. He also synthesizes them; so it is more than only a whole lot 
of information.

Answer 52: I believe IC, it has a track record of getting things right. 
Obviously, nespapers do not have that record.

Answer 53: Cole's knowledge of history, Islam, and the Arabic language allows 
him to  put the news in historical perspective and to access sources 
that others cannot. .

Answer 54: Juan has original sources.

Answer 55: A huge difference between the two is the high level of political 
complexity described by Informmed Comment.  Newspapers keep trying to 
fit the facts and their analysis into little boxes that the situation 
in Iraq refuses to contain itself to.

Answer 56: IC is more inforamative

Answer 57: More thought and Mr. Cole's comments dovetails into what I'm reading 
from other news sources. Overseas sources I might add.

Answer 58: I get all my news online

Answer 59: The essential difference is that I feel after reading Informed 
Comment that I have learned something, that questions were answered 
and new ones asked.  An adult speaking to another adult; unlike the 
MSM, which addresses it's readers/viewers as if they were addled 
children.

Answer 60: Main stream media tends to push a view point accross rather than 
report on actual events. There are too many vested interests in media 
now and what makes it to print is heavily censored and filtered to be 
of much value. The press I find is little more than propaganda now 
days and I find little of value there.

Answer 61: Usually the immediacy, but also the comments added by Professor Cole.

Answer 62: Newspapers and magazines suffer from the time lapse so reading at 
Informed Comment is often more up to date than most print materials. 
Also, major news services tend to rely more on "official sources", i. 
e. the military, than Prof. Cole who accesses news services from the 
region and has much knowledge to put things into historical context.

Answer 63: Lack of depth in newspaper or magazines.

Answer 64: Newspapers don't usually delve into the issues deeply enough and 
sometimes act almost as stenographers for the administration.  IC 
serves as a truth meter at times and as a source for a more reasoned 
overview and for overseas opinions not quite as blinkered as those of 
our media of the same matter at others.

Answer 65: Intelligent articles (in IC) vs. government propaganda (mainstream media).

Answer 66: IC delivers depth and detail.

Answer 67: Infrmed Comment is more timely, better informed, and more reliable; a 
lot of what's in the papers is written by people who don't know the 
region, don't know the languages or history, and are too easily 
"spun".

Answer 68: the extensive knowledge expressed in IC is an element not easily 
duplicated. J Coles specialist knowledge, and translations from 
Arabic sources.

Answer 69: history, context and analysis

Answer 70: I have the impression that Cole is unimpeded by someone above him, 
like the papers, the TV.

Answer 71: None in techno terms.  I just know I'll get the news I am unable to 
read in Arabic, as well as his own analysis.

Answer 72: Experience in that part of the world.  Most reporters might get sent 
there for a few weeks, but few people have years' worth of experience 
and the wide network of contacts to add balance.
Being able to speak the languages idiomatically means that he can 
read between the lines, or determine what they are not saying under 
the blizzard of words.
Also, a good academic is used to having to prove a point and is 
willing to be corrected.  Who dares to correct the divas starring on 
their own newscasts... even when they obviously blunder, lie, conceal 
or prevaricate?

Answer 73: In Informed Comment, Dr. Cole has all the space he needs to provide 
background or nuance - which is generally abbreviated in print 
journalism. Of course, he need to lead with the meat, and let readers 
decide how far they want to get in to it.

Answer 74: The shocking thing about many us media outlets is the sharp 
difference in what is reported and what is not. US media is rose 
colored glasses while other media has dire information and rings 
truer. As a veteran of the Korean war, it's not hard for me to detect 
spin.

Answer 75: Truth.

Answer 76: The variety and the links are better than any newspaper.

Answer 77: That depends.  If it's Anthony Shadid of WaPo, then I'd say Anthony's 
writing tends to be more gripping (sorry Juan!), but in terms of 
information content, Cole has few equals.  Most reporters or 
journalists have noticeably less grasp of the issues.

Answer 78: no comparrison. rarely do i trust the info in the newspaper to be presented

Answer 79: Somehow I think that Juan is writing out of caring for his topic vs 
being assigned to write about a topic.

Answer 80: Most newspapers I have read tend to 'spin' their stories,  or they 
follow an agenda of government support,  (Murdoch's papers). 
Newspapers and magazines now must take second place to blogging to a 
reader requiring quality information.
Sadly, it is newspapers that provide correspondents, but with iraq, 
foreign correspondents are now largely irrelevent unless they are 
iraqi.

Answer 81: Oh, sure. Mr. Cole's site seems to be all the knowledge that is 
contained within those newspapers and magazines--minus the bulls--t.

Answer 82: see above (2). newspapers are not independent - they are usually 
entangled with entities who stand to benefit from certain outcomes of 
the war. plus, they are entangled with politicians whose career 
depends on a certain outcome of the war. or the pretense thereof.

Answer 83: I mentioned reading the Christian Science Monitor on Fridays and over 
the years have read it with some frequency.  Often the difference 
cited with Monitor reoprts and other newspapers is that their 
coverage is "solutions oriented."  Something like that is the 
essential difference between Informed Comment and the rest.

Answer 84: willing to go beyond just reporting the facts to explain possible 
meaning and consequences while also adding background context

Answer 85: Nowhere else do I find the depth of citations of media reports fom 
Iraq, along with Dr. Cole's commentary placing this information in 
context.  His analyis and commentary is unique, and even when I 
disagree I find it always enlightening.

Answer 86: While I value, respect, and enjoy Juan'c comments and perspective, I 
see Informed Comment only as immediate, first-pass commentary.  I 
depend on The New Yorker, the Washington Post Weekly's editorial page 
and opinion page, as well as The Atlantic Monthly for more in-depth, 
elaborated commentary.

Answer 87: Mainstream Media is for suckers and breeds ignorance.

Answer 88: Newspapers and magazines are pampered poodles.  Chief poodle is Judy 
Miller in the New York Times.

Answer 89: Daily follow-up and background info: I knew nothing about the 
theological and social differences between Shia, Arab Sunni, Kurdish 
Sunni, and so forth before reading IC, and that knowledge is vital to 
making sense of what is going on.

Answer 90: it's Prof. Cole's personal views, to start with.  The fact that it's 
a blog means it very up to date, and he doesn't have to try to be 
balanced (not that he's unbalanced, but he can simply state his 
opinion).  His depth of knowledge is better than any newspaper.

Answer 91: Very few newspapers (except the online bristish ones) have anything 
like the level of information and detail.

Answer 92: Mostly depth of sources and Professor Cole's knowledge of the region 
as discussed above.  And at least on Iraq he's ideology free. He 
understands the relationships between the parties and sects that have 
fueled the internal forces of that country since the 1920s. He 
provides context and history. Most other reporting focusses on events 
and then mostly in the context of US politics or policy.

Answer 93: It is accurate analysis of the region that does not pull its punches 
about American failures in the region to avoid antagonizing its 
readership.  In other words, unlike the mainstream media, Cole can 
make blunt comments about U.S. and other countries' failings and not 
have to answer to an editor worried about dropping subscription 
revenue, who would censor him out of fear of a hostile response from 
subscribers who dislike hearing bad or unpleasant news.

Answer 94: It is the depth.  Also, and I don't know how to describe this, but 
there is something distancing, something almost misleading (because 
it acts like a 3rd person narrartor) about a newspaper's 
"objectivity".  There is a familiarity about Juan Cole's blog 
(different even from books).  It is truly like you are in his 
classroom or sitting around a table.  I feel as if I (or someone else 
at the table) has asked what a current event means.  "Please Juan 
Cole, tell us what is the best way to see this event in light of 
history, in light of who the major players are?  Is there any other 
ways to see it?"  He then tells in that informal and personal tone, 
here is how I take it.  He owns and is accountable for his 
perspective, and yet it is educated - yes it is informed!  I can't 
always read him due to time, but I regret it when I don't.  Like I 
miss a friend's wise voice in my life.

Answer 95: Unbiased analysis, and when biased, a comment is well flagged as such.

Answer 96: Most of the US press engages in self-censorship, probably out of fear 
of being branded as unpatriotic and losing sales.

Answer 97: It is concise but immensly informative. I learn in five minutes 
reading IC what I learn in an hour else where.

Answer 98: He quite often goes into detail whereas he usually is quoted and is 
just of the article.

Answer 99: I do not think newspapers and magazines are worth reading.  They are 
on a par with television, which I do not watch either.

Answer 100: specific knowledge and experience versus generalizations and amerikan 
/ pentagon produced propaganda

Answer 101: Its more detailled. (and yes, informed comment may have a different 
viewpoint from most american magazines, but that doesn't hold for 
gemany)

Answer 102: The level of detailed, integrated treatment in Informed Comment is 
quite different. Other news media seem to take episodic interest in 
the issue, so they can't present individual incidents as elements in 
a larger story.

Answer 103: Scale of 1-10, 1 is sanitised media, 10 is extreme websites showing 
beheadings. BBC, Economist, CNN are at 2, IC is at 5, al-Jazeera is 
at 7-8.
Also the author is a professional expert in the field- not some 
reporter on temporary assignment.

Answer 104: informed comment explain the events  more clearly with references to 
Iraq culture , clans , and history .

Answer 105: When they aren't just conduits for the administration mainstream 
media, the reporting is cursory (which can still be useful) and not 
as well-informed.

Answer 106: I think Informed Comment covers the news better and gives more 
information than most newspapers.

Answer 107: The only ways by which I read about Iraq from newspapers and 
magazines are reprinted articles on the above websites.  See the note 
on the differences at #4 above.

Answer 108: I don't read papers or magazines very often.

Answer 109: For one, he checks his facts, when possible. ;-) And, he's much more 
complete. I get stuff there that MSM simply doesn't cover. Finally, 
whereas MSM have to pretend that they're "neutral" (to the point of 
not particularly favoring reality over fantasy), Prof Cole is free to 
be him and he.

Answer 110: Yes, in general, the newspapers and magazines are not as reliable a 
source of information as Informed Comment. I do read several 
newspaper and Mags and value what I find in them if they are properly 
sourced.

Answer 111: Sincerity and expertise. The newspapers have too many other agendas.

Answer 112: Cole seems, unlike many commentators in newspapers and magazines, to 
know what he's talking about. He also speaks his mind with 
information from regional history or Arabic-language press. Reporters 
on the Iraq war have been largely insisting everything is going well 
while the country is going to thell in a handbasket.

Answer 113: There's a clearly detectable difference between a lifetime's study 
and 'Anyone here been raped and speaks English?'

Answer 114: He knows more about the Middle East than any traditional source.

Answer 115: Informed Comment tells me real information, not spin.

Answer 116: Depth and kowlegeable analysis

Answer 117: IC reports on non-government-sanctioned points of view.  IC provides 
important historical and cultural context to issues.

Answer 118: I feel that IC has the detail and, in general allows the reader to 
derive the pattern. An analogy of my use of it is, say, to study the 
Palestine issue by reading copies of the Times since 1920 will give a 
different view from the commentators who summarize (and distort)

Answer 119: See #4 above. Moreover, too many journalists are not specialists in 
the history of the region.  They can't possibly give us the broad 
view that Cole can.

Answer 120: The problem with reading newspapers (besides their reporters' 
ignorance and the editorial bias) is that the thread of the news 
story is fragmented and all too often, simply lost.  Magazines tend 
to focus on A Big Event or Issue.  Then there is nothing.  The war in 
Iraq happens every damn day and Juan Cole tells of it with the same 
relentlessness.

Answer 121: Less historical perspective in almost all US-based reporting. Some 
perspective in some Europeans.

Answer 122: More background about events, his strong feelings, his extensive 
background in the Middle East, his knowledge of the language.

Answer 123: Depth, depth, depth.

Answer 124: Details, explainations of  "why" and "who"..likely outcomes. Overall 
view instead of partisan....even though he clearly disagrees with the 
Iraq invasion, he gives "all" the facts as he knows them to be, and 
explains what he interrupts them to mean in the conflict..

Answer 125: expertise, depth of analysis, the ability to fully explain issues 
without the need to sell product or fear the loss of readers through 
expressing controversial or minority views

Answer 126: Juan Cole's view is consistently on-target. It is obvious to me that 
he knows what he is talking about. He has a wide-view, is not at all 
from a narrow political perspective, nor does he have an axe to 
grind. He seems to be a man of genuine scholarship, one who is 
intellectually superior to even the above average pundit. Certainly 
superior to every single syndicated columnist in this country!

Answer 127: More analysis.

Answer 128: Well... AP is my primary print source; I read it from the wires.  I 
also learn a lot from the Wash Post and NYT.  Fundamentally, though, 
I look to news sources for judgment as well as narrative; I want 
analysis, and from Juan I know what I'm getting.  Michael Gordon and 
Walter Pincus might be comparable examples: bylined reporters with 
whom I'm familiar and comfortable, per their beats.
Let me say too that when I'm looking for analysis I'm not simply 
looking for answers: I'm cheering that someone is trying to connect 
the dots, because often I learn something, and always I can check 
whether I agree.  It seems to me that every analyst, properly 
understood, is placed within her sphere; Edward Said and Yossef 
Bodansky being two complimentary examples.  Ultimately it's fairly 
hard to find analysis as ambitious as Mr. Cole's.

Answer 129: There's usually more in-depth analysis of what's going on in Informed 
Comment than in mainstream newspapers or magazines. Also, IC's 
entries tend to be updated very consistently and regularly.

Answer 130: Juan understands what is missing from the mainstream press and he is 
wonderfully capable of filling the gaping holes that exist in how 
international affairs are covered... particularly in the Middle East.

Answer 131: More detail, more likelihood of real-time commentary, better filter.

Answer 132: I feel that with IC I am receiving thoughtful analysis that is 
dedicated to establishing the truth about what is taking place in 
Iraq, not info-tainment or propaganda or ill-informed filler from 
commercial media.   And that IC will report on the stories that 
mainstream outlets will not cover.

Answer 133: More accurate and detailed understanding of the social, polcitical 
and historical context of middel east events than what is available 
in most mags and newspapers

Answer 134: since I open links, IC leads me to newspaper and magazine articles, 
perhaps a wider range than I would access on my  own ("prescreening," 
but broadening rather than narrowing)
wider historical and regional perspective
less concern about author being "fed" material or "steered" 
editorially, which results in a different way of reading, more 
straightforward

Answer 135: Juan gathers information from various sources in the MiddleEast and 
Europe before I wake up...plus he can translate directly from media I 
wouldn't be able to access...this is what I appreciate.

Answer 136: The arabic news outlets are often cited and direct translations of 
important documents appear on juancole.com.  Juan is not afraid to 
tell about the horrors on the ground, including daily "who blew up 
who" reports, and larger focus items -- such as the US bombing 
civilians.  This is something Chomsky would get you to realize.  Good 
luck finding that perspective in the NYT.

Answer 137: The sad reality is that almost all US newspapers and magazines are 
woefully inadequate and almost totally uninformed.  They show the 
total lack of knowledge and understanding of the culture or 
situation.  These sources are much too controlled by US politics and 
mis-guided ideas of 'balance' rather than reporting the facts.  I 
find that 30-50% of what is reported on the Middle East is wrong... 
and way too much of it is blatent political lies passed on as 'facts.'

Answer 138: Newspapers or magazines use the U.S. government as a news source.  IC does not.

Answer 139: Cole discusses things on more serious level. He is accurate (as far 
as I know), yet is passionate. Papers may have more info, but their 
passion is non-existent. That's OK, it's difference, not a flaw. 
Blogs are very much a personal expression, rather than an attempt to 
establish the historical record, as a paper like the NYTimes tries.

Answer 140: Juan frequentlly gives his personal assessment of the news based on 
his specific knowledge of the situation.  He apparently has friends 
and collegues who help interpret the news.

Answer 141: Good question. I do read some newspaper stories, such as AP and UPI, 
as they are published in the local Knight Ridder, 
toilet-paper-as-newsprint effort known as the San Antonio Express 
News. I do not read them for information. I read them to determine 1) 
how Rove is spinning his web, 2) how far ahead the spinners are of 
the gullible American public, and 3) out of morbid curiosity about 
whether MSM (and the public) will ever connect the neocon dots to 
Israel.

Answer 142: As other newspapers/mags spend less and less on investigative 
reporting and more on "infotainment" news, such as Micheal Jackson / 
Lacy Peterson coverage, the quality of their foreign affairs coverage 
has erroded to a cartoonishly simplified level.  Cole reads his scoop 
from sources which are both more informed and more interested (ie. 
usually happen to live there)

Answer 143: Juan Cole knows what he's talking about.  Most newspapers and 
magazines do not bother to find out the facts, they just report the 
spin

Answer 144: On a news side, Cole is not hindered by editors who require the 
so-called other side, or the officail line. Cole cane thus call out 
the official line for what it often is: A lie. Opinion wise, Cole 
also knows more about Shiite Islam than any major columnist.

Answer 145: Informed Comment gives context, background, and analysis in a short, 
readable, interesting way.  It also provides a critique of 
newspaper/magazine articles and other sources of information.

Answer 146: Cole sources from Arabic-language accounts, is far more candid and 
insightful about local opinions, electoral jockeying, and their 
implications for the future.

Answer 147: Even the most capable printed source is unable to report and analyze 
with the immediacy if Informed Comment.  I sometimes wonder if Cole 
finds time to do anything other than update events.

Answer 148: His ability to bring his expertise to bear on current events.

Answer 149: Juan Cole is closer to the raw data. He also doesn't feel the need to 
be "fair", which saves me a lot of outrage at apologists for the war. 
The latter is especially a problem with the NY Times and with my 
local "serious" newspaper, the Neue Zuercher Zeitung in Zurich, 
Switzerland.

Answer 150: First, Informed Comment has links to the sources, 
so it's more like sitting in a library with all 
the best materials already collected for you. 
Second, Juan has an understanding of history that 
sometimes offers insights a journalist might not 
have.  Juan reads Arabic and Persian, so he can 
tell me what sources in Iraq are saying.  All 
these make Informed Comment far superior to what 
I read in the New York Times.

Answer 151: IC is more in-depth, more in context--yet still seems to get the news too.

Answer 152: Very few journalists have knowledge of the region, or take the time 
to do their own research.

Answer 153: I generally don't waste my time reading MSM directly.  I will often 
read MSM pieces that are linked to my favorite websites listed above. 
I value the filtering and presentation of MSM news through these 
websites, as well as the added commentary and editorializing.

Answer 154: Newspapers and magazine information is usually government policy 
created - it seems scary to have to say that - Soviet Union eirey. 
Information from Juan Cole appears to be non-tampered with and 
thoughtful and even restrained at times giving benifit of the doubt 
when no further information known.  JC does give an opinion - his 
thoughts - and you know when it is his own on experience - not 
couched in the truth "Bill O'Reilly" style with little truth just 
bluster.

Answer 155: an explicit point of view, knowlegeable source-have developed a more 
than healthy disdain for the normal press.

Answer 156: See question 2

Answer 157: It's not possible to trust mainstream medias. The journalists are not
knowledgeable and more importantly, they lie and distort truth constantly.

Answer 158: Informed Comment shows all the ways to view an issue while newspapers 
and magazines often have an obvious lack of some knowledge.  Recently 
the Washing Post wrote about a letter from al-Qaeda to al-Qaeda in 
Iraq.  They did not point out that there were signs the letter might 
be a US plant.

Answer 159: I believe Informed Comment and I do not believe other sources because 
they always seem to have a hidden agenda.

Answer 160: Newspaper and magazine articles, even the better ones such as those 
by Tom Lasseter of Knight Ridder, are written by generalist 
journalists and pundits.  Few news agencies even bother to employ 
Iraqi reporters that speak the local language.  Reporters are on the 
scene to some extent, but often have difficulty fully understanding 
what they're seeing.  Professor Cole's ability to read the Arabic 
press, and his specialist familiarity with Iraq and the Middle East, 
allows him to draw much better conclusions from less information.
And some of it simply has to do with him being an intelligent 
commentator who feels free to post opinions or speculate.  Mainstream 
media has a strict seperation between reporting and editorializing, 
but sometimes a modest amount of editorializing and informed 
guesswork allows one to much better understand the facts being 
reported.

Answer 161: One gives you facts.
The other gives you pre-digested bits of pap that they are trying to 
force feed you.

Answer 162: Mainstream press is blinded by simple-minded patriotism.

Answer 163: IC is significantly more insightful and unfiltered.

Answer 164: Reporters these days seem too controlled by the editors and 
publishers, both of whom I don't trust
I feel that Cole's writing is a window on his character.

Answer 165: Informed Comment is what you would read between the lines in the 
newspapers and magazines, or would see and hear between the electrons 
on TV, if it were possible to actually read between the lines or see 
between the electrons.  Juan provides a real education along the way, 
without which a true understanding of Iraq and the Middle East - 
therefore American policy - could never be understood.

Answer 166: Juan Cole's heritage and his studied manor

Answer 167: Juan can take as much time/space as he wants to cover a topic, no 
deadline or space restriction.  Also see 3 above.  His linguistic 
access and long-term commitment to the field (typical of an academic, 
as opposed to a journalist) is valuable.  The range of sources he 
uses is important to me.  I don't read print newspapers any more 
(can't afford them).  Wire services don't usually provide bylines, so 
understanding bias is difficult

Answer 168: Cole knows an awful lot more about Iraq than almost all newspaper 
reporters and magazine writers, and it shows.

Answer 169: Yes, indeed I can!  Prof. Cole has the time and the space and the 
freedom and the knowledge to write at length, to assume a certain 
level of education and interest among his readers, and the freedom to 
express his views as he sees fit, with limited concern for the 
opinions of others.  He does not have to concern himself with 
commercial considerations.  I imagine that a certain constraint is 
imposed by his position as a university professor, but not enough to 
make it not seem to me that he takes the time to educate us as best 
he can.
Thank Heavens he does!

Answer 170: Sure...his opinion is his, and not the product of an institutional 
thought pattern, either from Friedman and his biases, or from papers 
where they have a point of view that is tacitly agreed to by 
correspondents. And then, of course, there is always thge fact that 
he seems to be in accord with my own broad thinking about the AreA.

Answer 171: THE essential difference? Easy. Cole is not a journalist. As he says, 
he's informed and ready to comment.

Answer 172: Translations of articles from Middle Eastern papers

Answer 173: Informed Comment is consistently fact driven, while most newspapers 
waver and have fallen prey to at least temporary ideological 
hijacking.

Answer 174: Broader range of discussion.  Greater detail to the discussion and coverage.

Answer 175: less parroting of the administration

Answer 176: The US newswires tend to offer incomplete or biased stories in favor 
of the Bush Administration. No good analyses.

Answer 177: After reading Informed Comment one will have an understanding of the 
Iraq conflict far superior to someone who reads any single newspaper. 
Anyone relying on TV news will have little idea of what is going on 
over there.

Answer 178: Mr. Cole, having lived in the Middle East (for example), just seems 
more credible than some other people who don't have much experience 
or knowledge pertaining to that area of the world.

Answer 179: Our newspaper is almost worthless except for the comics and the ads. 
Some magazines are good but the information in them has to be weeks 
or even months old by the time you get it.

Answer 180: IC gives a sense of immediacy and authenticity. Of a person rather 
than an employee.

Answer 181: Newspapers and magazines don't have enough information, and often 
they care about being stylish, or making puns more than getting raw 
information.

Answer 182: Lots more understanding of historical background, and of the way 
society is organized (tribes, religious and political groupings, 
local traditions).  Newspapers and magazines are relatively 
uninformed about any of this, and therefore tend to reflect someone's 
political agenda rather than enlighten as to an Iraqi- or 
Middle-East-based reality.

Answer 183: Much more thourough coveragde in IC

Answer 184: Ha :-)
Viva la difference

Answer 185: IC seems to have access to important news items from the region that 
either aren't reported at all by the mainstream media or aren't 
reported until much later.

Answer 186: IC is more timely. Newspaper and magazine stories are, generally, 
more well-round (more points of view). However, since NYT integrity 
issues with reporting I have been doubly wary of what I read in 
newspaper columns. Having a source like Prof. Cole to validate, or 
disprove, a news story is handy.

Answer 187: Newspapers or magazines often have the facts balled up. Dr. Cole has 
the background and knowledge to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Answer 188: First of all Juan Cole knows what he writes about. He do not try to 
be neutral, but I can see what he stands for. So it does not matter 
that he is not neutral. The IC coverage of Iraq is not superficial. 
It is easier for me to check out and understand what is behind JCs 
comments. There is also more background stories than regular news.

Answer 189: Reading Informed Comment is like reading a columnist. You get a sense 
very quickly for Cole's point of view, sense of tragi-comedy, one 
might say, and moderate politics.

Answer 190: I don't read newspapers except online and of course Juan references 
those. I like mags for in depth on specifics like Hirsch in the NYer 
on torture/Abu Ghraib or Naomi Klein/Harpers on the failure of 
reconstruction, the Langewishce in the Atlantic on the Green Zone - 
this is original investigative reporting - Juan is analysis and 
insight.

Answer 191: I do not read newspapers or magazines any more, it is now similar to 
reading newspapers in the old Soviet Block countries

Answer 192: Day and Night.. Juan Cole is day and guess who is night. Even the 
NYTimes which I find bad.  Another sorry site is NPR news.

Answer 193: The essential difference is that Juan Cole has studied the region and 
its politics and culture extensively.  Newspaper reporters do not 
often have the scope and breadth of knowledge Mr. Cole brings to his 
analysis and, therefore, sometimes miss important aspects of their 
reportage.

Answer 194: First of all, Cole's "moderating" role (e.g. commenting about how 
credible a piece of news is). Second, Informed Comment usually 
provides a summary of Iraq's current event which is much  more 
extensive than what you can usually find on other medias.

Answer 195: I often gets the feeling that reporters from the big newspapers are 
afraid of controversy, both regarding  the military and with the 
puplic. I also think that they, in order to make articles readable to 
the public in large, have a tendency to simplicate complex issues.

Answer 196: Australia only has two newspapers, and neither contain any news at all.

Answer 197: Depth!

Answer 198: the title says it all; see also my response to Q3 above re: sourcing.

Answer 199: See above.

Answer 200: IC is generally more current and more concentrated on Iraq than most 
news sources I read.  I read  quite a number of sources daily. 
Quailty magazine articles  do give a more cohesive framework. Eg, I 
thought the early historical aricles on Iraq in the Smithsonian were 
excellent

Answer 201: cole's staying power as a commentator

Answer 202: It's the difference between reading what's written by a reporter who 
was assigned to the Iraq "beat" but otherwise has little insight into 
the intricacies of the situation and reading the commentaries of 
someone whose life has been devoted to studying the Middle East.

Answer 203: Informed Comment is far more personal, in-depth, and current. Cole's 
erudition is obvious. I am being informed by an expert and a scholar 
knowledgeable about the region, rather than a reporter.

Answer 204: The Media today has become part of the Government propaganda machine 
( Judith Miller, Bob Woodward...).

Answer 205: I find it interesting to read Dr. Cole's understanding of the Iraqi 
news reported by major news sources.

Answer 206: Newspapers and magazines have to make a profit and this can affect 
their reporting.  Informed Comment, as far as I know, is non profit 
and thus less biased.

Answer 207: When I read an article, the news does not make sense. Juan Cole 
describes the daily events from a perspective which I can understand. 
News articles do not describe a perspective which makes any rational 
sense.

Answer 208: There simply is no comparison.  The standard press is mostly propaganda.

Answer 209: Informed Comment offers depth that is rarely found in newspapers or 
magazines. Cole uses newspapers and magazines, pointing us to basic 
information, but then he provides clear analysis or his own views to 
either support or counter information from mainstream media. This 
provides me with a larger picture and a better sense of what is 
actually happening in the region vs. watching CNN or reading 
newspapers.

Answer 210: More background, more insight, more reading between the lines and 
pointing out the persons in charge.

Answer 211: IC gives an expert opinion ontop of just the facts.  I usually, but 
not always always, agree with Dr. C's opinions.  And at the very 
least gets me thinking more about the issue.

Answer 212: Informed Comment offers context that no other source, particularly 
"news" source, even attempts to offer, since it is based on deeper 
knowledge of culture(s) as well as an array of sources not likely to 
be available to reporters (because of language differences, etc.)

Answer 213: he tends to be very though

Answer 214: The mainstream press has an inherent bias that is first, commercial 
in nature, and secondarily, political--they cater to the mainstream 
and to the political elites.  By offering snippets of news and 
events, without any background analysis, readers are left with a very 
disconnected and incoherent overview of trends and history.

Answer 215: The mainstream press has an inherent bias that is first, commercial 
in nature, and secondarily, political--they cater to the mainstream 
and to the political elites.  By offering snippets of news and 
events, without any background analysis, readers are left with a very 
disconnected and incoherent overview of trends and history.

Answer 216: There are links; it's a daily digest of news; frequent updates

Answer 217: Factual when stated. Analytical Indepth coverage of forces within Ieaq

Answer 218: different perspective
more in depth coverage
better understanding of the topic at informed comment

Answer 219: Cole brings a lot more understanding of the region and a broader 
perspective than most reporters.

Answer 220: Primary one of understanding. Prof Cole knows whereof he speaks. 
Reporters rarely have the depth of experience and study that he 
brings to the table.  This means that they often cannot put a report 
into context and there are also prone to alter tyhe emphais, not 
necessarily on purpose.

Answer 221: Newspapers and magazines don't have the depth of familiarity with the 
culture and history of the area.

Answer 222: Newspapers seem to strive for a sort of toothless recitation of key 
elements, loosely draped around whatver the journalist deems the 
'story.' Magazine articles are slighty less toothless, but they still 
seem to want to gum an issue to death. Informed Comments does not 
seem to be afraid to bite into an issue and digest it a bit for the 
benefit of its readers.

Answer 223: I don't read newspapers except online and of course Juan references 
those. I like mags for in depth on specifics like Hirsch in the NYer 
on torture/Abu Ghraib or Naomi Klein/Harpers on the failure of 
reconstruction, the Langewishce in the Atlantic on the Green Zone - 
this is original investigative reporting - Juan is analysis and 
insight.

Answer 224: I've given up on the NYT and my local paper does not really cover it. 
Can't think of any magazines that are "fair and balanced" or know 
what they're talking about on this topic.

Answer 225: Newspapers tend to leave out important information and may not have 
Naccompaning articles that may give me more background on the topic

Answer 226: Prof. Cole has a way of analyzing the dynamics of the situation that 
makes it accessible to the lay reader, where newspapers and magazines 
often dumb it down to the point of being insulting to the reader's 
intelligence.

Answer 227: I.C. has much more detailed local coverage, and is much more timely.

Answer 228: Prof. Cole brings a unique understanding of Iraqi history, its 
sociology, and its religions to his commentary that is rare to find 
elsewhere in the media (of any variety). His ironical humor and 
informal style also set it apart from the rest.

Answer 229: Cole goes into more detail and does not run with the herd as other 
media reporters sometimes do.  Plus he has access to newspapers and 
TV news in the languages of the ME, so he gives the viewpoint of the 
people from that area.

6) How would you describe the balance between news and opinion on 
Informed Comment?

Answer 1: That balance is very useful. As I've said, the re-caps of news 
articles are one of the reasons I come back again and again to IC. 
Sometimes I feel like Dr. Cole could flag the difference between his 
recaps and his arguments with more clarity, they sometimes bleed into 
each other, but that's the nature of a blog really.

Answer 2: I share many of Prof Cole's attitudes, but I have not found him to be 
biased in reporting the events of the day in Iraq and surrounding 
areas.  Frequently he gives background that makes issues more 
comprehensible.

Answer 3: I am awed by the number of resources he cites.  He gives background 
and explanation to his opinions.  I don't feel he is using the blog 
to distort the facts.  I feel he is getting more frustrated over 
time, but so am I.  When he is challenged by someone else, he either 
presents their views, or he expresses how his opinion has changed. 
Unlike Harriet Miers, he is an evolving human being as we all should 
be.

Answer 4: false dichotomy in your question perhaps--I would say there is a lot 
of news available in the links and very little opinion, while it 
lives up to its name "Informed Comment."--the comment is not always 
or often opinion--more often than not I find it informative or 
explanatory

Answer 5: Pretty good - after all the internet provides alternatives for the 
consumer to reference as well.

Answer 6: Ample news references, supplemented by opinion.

Answer 7: Excellent. And there is never a question as to which is which.

Answer 8: Expertly balanced.  The news is presented and then Professor Cole 
comments on important articles or important points from within the 
articles that are relevent to the situation.

Answer 9: I'm not particularly qualified to asses "balance".  Balance is not 
the end-objective here, anyway.  Clear presentation of the news and 
compelling (convincing) analysis is.  I challenge the notion that 
every story must be balanced with an "opposing" view.

Answer 10: It's fine.

Answer 11: Good balance.  Would like to see a little more opinion.

Answer 12: The only opinion that seems to matter is that the truth is the truth, 
and it needs to be told.

Answer 13: Balance is good. Opinion is always easy to identify. Cole is usually 
cautious and not likely to draw conclusions based on sketchy 
information.

Answer 14: Pretty good. I think IC tends to put facts first. Although the choice 
of facts one puts forward is as much a part of showing an opinion as 
anything else.

Answer 15: Some news, but more opinion, and that is good.  That is what I want. 
I want to know from Juan how to feel about the news that is going on. 
For instance, I loved his detailed point by point criticism of Bush's 
big speech on terrorism.  He ripped it apart and showed how 
ill-informed the president really is.

Answer 16: He's got it about right.  Aside from news, he also has opinions based 
on his knowledge of arab culture and history and language, his 
"knews" so to speak.

Answer 17: I'll admit that I've kind of been glazed over at all the death 
reportage and have sought out the opinion, but I do think that it's 
important to relay and recordthe journalistic facts (or rather, 
artifacts), especially if they're from Arabic sources.

Answer 18: Very good.  I use the links often. Prod. Cole's thoughtful opinions 
are educational.

Answer 19: both are helpful.  since i stay informed, commentary is especially helpful

Answer 20: well balanced.

Answer 21: Good

Answer 22: Very balanced.

Answer 23: 50/50

Answer 24: excellent

Answer 25: A proper balance , with opinion not touted as news.

Answer 26: excellent

Answer 27: The balance is usually harmonious.

Answer 28: good

Answer 29: excellent

Answer 30: Very good. I think the balance is best preserved by separating each 
out with distinct posts, especially the posts have titles that hint 
at whether they are opinion or news.

Answer 31: Good mix.  I look for both from Cole, and from my other sources of news.

Answer 32: The organic expression of a knowledgeable 
individual, rather than an editorial product 
tailored to address a defined market.

Answer 33: Cole strikes me as a sensible guy, but a good part of the reason I 
read his site is for the factual content.

Answer 34: Very good. Nothing covert, and the opinion is rooted in lots of 
values: academic and professionalm humane, democratic, and just a 
touch of righteous indignation, a little spice so to speak.

Answer 35: Nice

Answer 36: I like the balance. It covers all the news and details and I havew 
come to respect Dr. Coles opinions.  He also responds to my e-mails.

Answer 37: Even and quite good

Answer 38: Okay I think. I love to get Juan Cole's opinions because I respect 
his intellect and understanding, so maybe more of those.

Answer 39: I would not change it.

Answer 40: I like the balance.  I know that when I go there, which I sometimes 
do now before checking the WP and the NYT, I'll find information 
that's true to the best of Professor Cole's knowledge, and that his 
opinions, when he offers them, will not spring from pique, but from a 
genuine desire to correct the record when we're exposed, as we are 
daily, to the torturous spins and/or nonstatements that define this 
administration.

Answer 41: synthetic, so distinction itself is problematized

Answer 42: I think everything is filtered through our public and private 
histories, through our individual biases. Even so, some people are 
more capable of discerning what might be true based upon their 
experiences.  I don't separate Prof. Cole from his retelling of the 
news.

Answer 43: A fair mix

Answer 44: I think it's excellent. Sometimes as I read the litany of skirmishes 
and ambushes and how many people die and are injured, I almost feel 
numb, but this is important information for citizens in this country. 
I wouldn't want Juan Cole to change this.

Answer 45: On target. A good debate of all issues without being stubborn.

Answer 46: It's fine. I wouldn't read it if there was only news -- the 
commentary is what makes it interesting.

Answer 47: I would like to see a little more opinion and analysis

Answer 48: As I've already said the information to noise ratio is probably the 
highest of any web site I can currently think of.

Answer 49: It's about right.

Answer 50: Mr Cole like others writes in the blur between , news and opinion, 
having not the resources to travel the globe and i would not think he 
cares to try. So if news is first person engaged then what follows is 
comment. By the same mention consider contributing sources and solid 
links to proven facts, I would describe the balance above spin or 
reproach.

Answer 51: I think it is fair.

Answer 52: Very good, it is mostly news and only infrequently does he have a 
pure opinion piece.  Obviously, his opinions come through in almost 
every post, however, his opinions are intelligent opinions

Answer 53: Gnerally excellent. And Cole makes very clear which he is offering.

Answer 54: Good

Answer 55: Fine.  I'd like more of Cole's longer analysis posts, but I know he's 
a busy guy.

Answer 56: Excellent

Answer 57: Very good and seem to be well balanced.

Answer 58: I like to hear Juan's opinions. He doesn't overdo them. I probably 
would wish to read more of his opinion of governmental affairs, which 
are infrequent.

Answer 59: Excellent and distinct.  What can I say, me like 'em snarky!

Answer 60: There is a good balance of comments on events. I always would like 
more comments but do understand that Mr Cole has a life to lead and 
can't sit all day commenting on each event that occurs. The comments 
on events will get you thinking and analysing.

Answer 61: Most of the time about 50/50.

Answer 62: News seems to outweigh opinion and generally my only gripe about the 
opinions he expresses are that they don't necessarily go far enough 
in condemning the current & past administrations of this country as 
well as what I see as the tragedy of Capitalism.

Answer 63: Maybe 50:50.

Answer 64: Excellent.  Quotation of different sources and either explanation or 
rebuttal of those viewpoints is excellent.

Answer 65: Mostly news, with just the right amount of opinion to tie it together.

Answer 66: Sometimes it seems tainted with negative opinion, but given the dire 
situation, anyone coververing these events with a positive outlook is 
either A) blindly partisan, B) delusionally optimistic, or C) 
covering their Neo-Con ass.

Answer 67: very good, in my view; the opinion is always carefully identified as 
interpretation or extrapolation from what is known.

Answer 68: v. good.

Answer 69: fine but then I tend to agree with his opinions

Answer 70: gGood.

Answer 71: Just right.  It's always clear which is which.

Answer 72: The "news" tends to be a bit abrupt, however, that helps keep the 
line of separation: x is what is reported, y is what it signifies.

Answer 73: I see it as news and analysis, not opinion, although any analysis is 
of course subject to bias.  2-3 parts news: what is in the foreign 
media that we aren't  seeing?  6-7 parts analysis.  1 part opinion, 
stated as such.

Answer 74: As far as I can tell, this blog has in depth news as well as opinion. 
I do not agree with everything but, the vast majority of both  are 
very well balanced.

Answer 75: He gives you the news and then his opinion sometimes. It is always 
relevant and sometimes passionate when the subject is incendiary 
enough to drive any sane person crazy.

Answer 76: Excellent!

Answer 77: Haven't given it any thought.  Fine, I guess.

Answer 78: i wouldn't

Answer 79: ?

Answer 80: news: 80%  Opinion: 20%.   But remember, it is informed opinion! <smile>

Answer 81: See my answer to Question 3.

Answer 82: 50-50

Answer 83: Lively.   Comments are a new feature and don't have an opinon on that 
feature of the site yet.  But I've particularly enjoyed when 
professor Cole has posted writing disagreeing with his views and then 
offering replies.  He's linked through to other sites where he has 
participated in similar debates.  I notice that I can't seem to 
decide whether to call them discussions or debates.  I think they are 
debates, but not how  J Q Public (that's me) is used to thinking 
about them.  Reason actually has some standing and positions are 
modified.

Answer 84: Wonderful.

Answer 85: As I've already said, I enjoy Juan's commentary more than his news 
reporting.- but I think the reporting is crucial to establishing and 
maintaining the credibility of his commentaries.

Answer 86: Very balanced.

Answer 87: Good balance.

Answer 88: Just right...it's his running interpretation of the news, with more 
depth than you can find anywhere else.

Answer 89: Lately, more news than opinion, probably because there is more news 
getting out.  More than I have time to read.

Answer 90: It's almost all news and analysis. When Professor Cole wheels off 
into opinion he clearly signals he's doing so. And then you can take 
it or leave it as you see fit.

Answer 91: Cole does a nice job of mixing both, although at times I think his 
opinion gets the better of him in some posts.  It would be best if he 
had information columns completely seperated from opinion columns; 
however, to his credit, he usually takes that rough pattern.

Answer 92: He links to the news.  He always cites his sources or what he is 
refering to.  I think the best blogs always do this.  It makes the 
sites extremely rich resource.  It can be very time consuming to cite 
everything, but Juan never fails me.  He then discusses the news, 
which is of couse the major value add.  He brings me to news I find 
nowhere else and then helps me to dicipher it.  I think writers 
always know they have a point of view or perspective, but they trust 
the reader to understand and put it into their own perpective.  Trust 
us!  We want to be trusted!

Answer 93: Excellent.

Answer 94: It's pretty good, with a factual intro followed by analysis shedding 
light on the underlying issues.

Answer 95: Excellent. I am very comfortable with the current levels.

Answer 96: I think he is quite fair until some action appears stupid, especially 
when peoples' lives are put at risk.

Answer 97: Informed comment is mostly a news aggregator, informed comment, as in 
the title.  Jual Cole chose the title, "Informed Comment" wisely and 
with irony, because informed comment is exactly what one does no 
recieve from main stream media.

Answer 98: exceptionally well done. when does Prof. Cole find the time ???

Answer 99: Mostly news

Answer 100: For me this is one of the strengths of the blog.

Answer 101: Very effective as it is always clear which is which.

Answer 102: it is mostly news than opinion .

Answer 103: Excellent.

Answer 104: IO think his opinions usually link very well with the newsd  he presents.

Answer 105: Excellent.  Lots of factual information combined with analysis.

Answer 106: 50/50?

Answer 107: dunno what to say here. I like IC for both "what's happening" and 
"what's this all about" -- though I often skim the lists of incidents 
("car bomb was detinated in yada, there were yada casualties"). I 
think what's most important is that he is very clear in his own mind, 
and to his readers, when he is and isn't "reporting" in the strict 
sense -- and when he's giving his take.

Answer 108: Good.

Answer 109: Good. I am always craving another perspective.

Answer 110: Good balance, and the two are clearly delineated (much appreciated!).

Answer 111: Not really an important distinction.

Answer 112: Good balance.

Answer 113: I like it.  Of course an expert on a subject should have opinions on 
it.  I want to hear what they are.  I also need teh facts. He gives 
both.

Answer 114: Informed (and unbiased) Opinion is a critical part of any news.
Informed comment has the right balance.

Answer 115: 50/50 news / opinion.  The opinion is at least as important as the 
news since JC knows what he is talking about.  Only infrequently does 
he engage in partisan ranting.

Answer 116: Mostly news...sometimes, when commenting on the seven deadly sins, 
for example, it goes a bit off for me...even though I loathe our 
president.

Answer 117: Excellent. I always learn more about the history of the region, and 
then Cole puts that history into some meaningful context.

Answer 118: Juan's opinions are what drove him to produce this blog, I think.  He 
thinks the news about Iraq and the Sunni-Shia problems are of great 
importance to us, the invaders.  I share this opinion.  I also share 
Juan's opinions about the great American ignorance concerning the 
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  And I too think David Horowitz is a 
putz.  So let's just say that I think balance in the face of lies, 
torture, and warmongering is not a particularly great value to hold.

Answer 119: News is better than comment. Sometimes Cole comments on stuff on 
which his expertise is no greater than many others including self, 
but he's great on Iraq, especially Shi'a stuff.

Answer 120: Appreciate his expression of opinion,   when appropriate, because I 
trust his judgment.

Answer 121: More than fair.  Juan seems to bend over backwards to present facts 
and qualify them as necessary.  But I do like to here his opinions.

Answer 122: Heavy on events..with opinons following.

Answer 123: The balance is appropriate with a fairly heavy mix of news from Arab 
sources that I would not otherwise have read

Answer 124: Cole gives news on Iraq I cannot get anywhere else. He gives voice to 
other's opinions without bias or resorting to slander.  While I may 
not agree with all his assessments, I know that he is giving a 
balanced view as far as he knows and he has sources I do not have. I 
have learned to trust that he is honest at least, which is more than 
I can say for all others.

Answer 125: not sure.

Answer 126: News drives and elicits opinion.  News is the jumping-off point; Juan 
pulls something from it or summarizes or lightly glosses, but the 
source is available.  This is incredibly useful, really.  From there 
I take opinion to be as valuable or as suspect as its author is 
rigorous.  I like opinion.  I read it and draw my own conclusions, 
and most readers who are attracted to what Juan does will similarly, 
I'm sure, form their own opinions.

Answer 127: I think it's all tied together, but I think that's okay. There isn't 
a sense of being hit in the face with strong opinion, but it's clear 
that the author has opinions on the subjects he writes about.

Answer 128: Good... I like the opinion because I generally agree, but also 
because his opinions are very well supported by facts, not just 
ideology.

Answer 129: News is opinion in any context anywhere, you know this as well as I. 
What Juan Cole does is use his own personal bias to filter out the 
noise for the rest of us.  I trust him because his impulse seems to 
be one of furthering knowledge and information of the arab world for 
those of us who know in our hearts that the arab/muslim/islamic world 
is not automatically valueless and therefore disposable, as those in 
the mainstream press would have you believe.
His acquaintance with that world and his lack of unconscious hatred 
towards it keeps it an open window.  American media types of a 
simpler nature are generally ambivalent towards arab/muslim/islamic 
issues/history by nature of their indoctrination into the Israel 
question and the circular logic and unconscious biases harvested and 
nurtured inside them.

Answer 130: I think it is about right where it needs to be.  It is helpful when 
Dr. Cole explains why he holds things to be true or untrue or useful 
or baseless.  I trust his judgement and have never found reason to 
doubt his sincereity or truthfulness.   News without some opinion to 
shape it can be come a mere litany of  facts; IC manages to flesh out 
the statistics and cut through the B.S. factor that colors most US 
media reporting.

Answer 131: Opinions are well reasoned and justified by news/historical references.

Answer 132: suits me

Answer 133: Sometimes when its just the listings of offensives around Iraq I find 
myself drifting off but I stay with it as it is something we should 
definately know about and you don't find that anywhere else.  I love 
reading his opinions and especially value it when he has a debate 
with some one else.  The withdrawal issue really was enjoyable.

Answer 134: Fine.  I appreciate both.  Juan is very thoughtful.  He must anger 
the hawks like crazy, though.

Answer 135: Should there be a balance?  Dr Cole gathers up links of what has been 
happening in the last 24 hours relating the area and then he analyses 
it.  He presents the facts and then tries to help us to understand 
how these facts affect the current situation.  He even gives us a 
heads-up if the source is not completely trustworthy.  He is 
professional enough to come back and correct errors... and even to 
change his opinion if added knowledge shows that he was wrong.  He is 
willing to allow other informed sources to disagree... on his own 
blog... and sometimes he even moves his opinions based on their 
input.  To me that is one of his strengths... it shows that he 
actually thinks about the situation... and is intelligent enough to 
know that he doesn't know everything.

Answer 136: Very good, but as mentioned, I mostly read the opinion/analysis.

Answer 137: Good.

Answer 138: It is about 3/4ths news and 1/4th opinion.  It is a good balance for 
me.  I am interested in how the response feature will work out.  It 
is new.  I just read about it today in his column.

Answer 139: Huh?

Answer 140: I think Cole is particularly strong here.  His opinion is not passed 
off as fact.  I have no doubt, while reading, where I am reading 
Cole's thoughts or his sources thoughts.  I would not appreciate the 
strictly factual aspect of his blog nearly as much without the doses 
of opinion many years of studying and living in the middle east have 
afforded him.

Answer 141: About right

Answer 142: The news is slightly Arab biased, with a tad bit of anti-US 
militarism. The opinion is generally dead on.

Answer 143: Good.

Answer 144: Alludes to news but is almost entirely analysis/prediction.

Answer 145: Analysis is not mere opinion.  My impression is that Cole likes to label
opinion as such, and that there is relatively little of that.

Answer 146: His opinion-giving is thoughtful, not shoot-from-the-hip, and always has
a logical connection to the news he conveys.

Answer 147: Sometimes I skip over the "minor" facts and the details of the 
maneuvering of the political parties, as it is just too much for me 
to absorb.

Answer 148: There are far more news items than there are 
opinion pieces.  But the opinion pieces and his 
own commentary (as well as his collection of 
sources) are usually short and well-informed. I 
like this mix.  Too many blogs are mainly 
opinion, and Juan's careful collection of news 
spiced with a bit of opinion and comment are just 
right for my taste.

Answer 149: Opinion is pretty clearly delineated--comes mainly in the context of "shoulds."

Answer 150: Good balance.  I wouldn't want the balance too much further toward 
opinion (even though I agree with and/or am persuaded by most of 
Cole's opinions), as I'd fear Cole would be too easily labeled as an 
anti-administration hack, which might marginalize the value of his 
expertise in the political realm.

Answer 151: Very good balance and opinion is sprinkled but not propagandered - 
take or leave the information given.  Is willing to be corrected - if 
readers have further information with sources - he does not like spam 
/ troll mail - but will listen and print information that comes to 
him.

Answer 152: ok-pretty opinionate but that is ok.  I hate Bush too.

Answer 153: You are reading someone who makes no claim to being objective. 
However, whatever opinions Dr. Cole presents are backed by fact and 
this fact is always provided.

Answer 154: You need news and cultural information to support opinions. That part of IC
is excellent. Opinions are generally from an historical perspective and tend
to be fair.

Answer 155: The blog actually blends opinion and news well.  Since information on 
the area is often unreliable.  Quite a bit of opinon is needed but 
opposing opinions (that have some support) are presented

Answer 156: Excellent.

Answer 157: Maybe 3/4 news, 1/4 opinion.  It's more news-heavy than most blogs.

Answer 158: 60% news 40% opinion

Answer 159: Clearly distinct.

Answer 160: Good balance.

Answer 161: Excllent

Answer 162: I'd say it's analysis first (50%) and news and opinion at about 25% 
each.  It's certainly in balance, and each element firmly supports 
the other elements.

Answer 163: 50/50

Answer 164: about half and half.  Of course, the news he chooses to address is 
informed by his biases.  Covering a story is a comment.

Answer 165: No complaints.  I give Cole's opinions more weight because of his 
knowledge - unlike most, his comments are informed.

Answer 166: It's good.  Sometimes, the longer opinion pieces by others are the 
articles I tend to skim over.  I read this blog exactly for the 
opinion.  "He said/she said" journalism is useless when one is trying 
to truly understand.  I am looking for a commentator who will say 
what happened, who said and did what, and what their motivations 
might be for what they said and did, and why the commentator came to 
those conclusions.  I am not aware of another place where this is 
available so consistently for the Iraq war.

Answer 167: Don't really see one. Don't really want one.

Answer 168: Bad question. I don't read it for news but for analysis and point of 
view. Must say that the edge is being dulled by the increase in 
"editorial" content, i.e., an academic and long-winded version of 
what I said about blogs, q. 3.

Answer 169: 60/40%

Answer 170: Well balanced.

Answer 171: Informed Comment covers a broader discussion area, references Arab 
and foreign sources, and is a blend of factual reporting and opinon.

Answer 172: excellent

Answer 173: Top notch.

Answer 174: Quite good - as far as news is concerned I particularly like the 
translations of Arabic newspapers.

Answer 175: I would describe this balance as quite good.

Answer 176: Good.

Answer 177: can't! I like both!

Answer 178: Fine.

Answer 179: Balanced--and clear which is which!  Which is a real joy.

Answer 180: Just right

Answer 181: I have most enjoyed the in-depth historical jaunts Juan takes us on 
in order to better understand the current situation. As to news vs 
opinion, I think he mixes it well, but there are days when the 
overall tone is definitely more editorial (and sometimes 
sarcastic...not a plus for me).

Answer 182: I think this question overlooks the crucial interface between news 
and opinion, i.e., analysis. When Cole offers plain opinion, he 
generally makes it clear that that's what it is. But I would say that 
the majority of his postings fall under the banner of "analysis", 
meaning he is applying his intellect to explain more than the facts 
of the day. This is the value of IC and it doesn't lend itself to a 
news vs. opinion type of quantification.

Answer 183: I think there is a good balance. Some of the opinion I find a bit one 
sided and too personal (I know, odd to say that of a blog) but I'm 
prepared to wade through occassional icky personal stuff because I 
know there's likely to be a point somewhere.

Answer 184: excellent

Answer 185: there is a good balance...

Answer 186: It is mostly opinion, but it links to news by others. Thus, it 
strikes a good balance between news (which Cole is in no position to 
produce) and opinion (which is his strength).

Answer 187: News in and of itself isn't really Juan's product - it's compilation 
and analysis of the news and the ensuing insight that comes from 
combining that with Juans knowledge and experience

Answer 188: I watch the BBC, Deutsche Welle and International CNN on television 
and balance everything including the Internet

Answer 189: Excellent.   It's is marked if you can't figure it out.

Answer 190: It seems to me to be about 50/ 50 with a lot of translation of Arabic 
news sources, links to english language news stories on the one hand 
and opinion comments on the other.

Answer 191: I think that's ok.

Answer 192: Good.

Answer 193: fine.

Answer 194: I like both and easy to discern which is which (I like that, too).

Answer 195: Cole is careful to distinguish between the two overtly. I feel it is 
very balanced. He moves from factual/reports through analysis and 
commentary to opinion. Both the layout of the blog and his own 
writing indicates when he shifts gears.

Answer 196: Clearly divided.

Answer 197: I like the balance, and have no difficulty determining exactly what 
is being offered.
I tend to disregard opinion per se, but value it if  I detect a well 
explained basis for that opinion.

Answer 198: some grey area between these, of course.  sometimes the 'news' notes 
seem a legacy from the earlier days of the site, not as urgently 
needed to provide up-to-the-hour updates

Answer 199: Pretty good.  In addition to his detailed commentaries, Juan compiles 
a lot of information from Arabic language news services (and 
translates them himself); I haven't found this service anywhere else.

Answer 200: News is approximately 65 percent; opinion fills the remaining 35.

Answer 201: For someone who is as deeply familiar with the history and the 
politics in Iraq as Professor Cole seems to be, the two become one 
and the same!

Answer 202: Acceptable.

Answer 203: There is a good balance.

Answer 204: Juan Cole is a balanced reporter of the events. Juan Cole is able to 
separate the facts from his opinion. When he voices an opinion, he 
states it as opinion not fact and gives a clear rational analysis of 
why he thinks of the situation in the way he describes.

Answer 205: I think the balance is good.  Having said that, Cole's analysis is 
very thought provoking and more would be welcome, especially in the 
manner he presents it with rebutals encouraged.

Answer 206: Fair and balanced.

Answer 207: Subjective judgment, but fine with me.

Answer 208: 70/30

Answer 209: I look to Informed Comment primarily for opinion, because what I want 
is the benefit of Prof. Cole's judgment about events I may have 
learned about from other sources.

Answer 210: reasonable

Answer 211: Informed Comment is heavy on opinion, but that's one reason why I 
read it--I am interested in Juan Cole's opinions as well as his 
reportage.

Answer 212: Informed Comment is heavy on opinion, but that's one reason why I 
read it--I am interested in Juan Cole's opinions as well as his 
reportage.

Answer 213: Nearly every news piece has an opinion attached; for straight news 
you pretty much have to follow the links.

Answer 214: I like the mixture.

Answer 215: opinion on the news

Answer 216: Just right.

Answer 217: I find the opinion based on the facts, knowlege and expereience. It 
is easy to see.  Facts seem to me to predominate, explantion of 
underly aspects of the facts and then opinion. Prof Cole ivariably 
will state that some statement is an opinion, and what the opinioin 
is based on.

Answer 218: I scan the news presented and tend to pay more attention to the 
opinion.  The balance is about 60/40.

Answer 219: It strikes me that Informed Comment offers far more news than most 
blogs. But it's not why I read it. Again, I can get that from 
multiple sources. I come to IC for deeper analysis of what it all 
means, discussed in a rational and informed manner.

Answer 220: News in and of itself isn't really Juan's product - it's compilation 
and analysis of the news and the ensuing insight that comes from 
combining that with Juans knowledge and experience

Answer 221: very fine. cole comments, usually, where u expect & want him to 
comment. his comments have all the qualities that should be in the 
opinions of any true academician, i.e, objective, never jumping to 
conclusions, logical, non-biased and open to criticism.

Answer 222: Prof. Cole seems to mostly do news and gives pretty clear indications 
when he's going off into opinion.  I do like it when he gets mad, 
though, and really sails into something!

Answer 223: N/A

Answer 224: I would like to see more opinion & analysis of the news articles. 
When Prof. Cole reports the "who, what, when and where," I would also 
like to see more of the "why."

Answer 225: No problems with the mix, but what do I have to compare it to?

Answer 226: I find it to be ideal. Prof. Cole offers an excellent summation of 
what the mainstream news is reporting, as well as pointing out 
important stories and commentary from other media sources which, 
undeservedly, don't get a great deal of attention.

Answer 227: I think it's quite good.  He is clear as to when he is giving 
information and when he is giving opinion,

7) Do you have any comments about the strengths and weaknesses of the 
format of Informed Comment (or blogs in general).

Answer 1: In general, I feel blogs have degraded American political discourse. 
They create spaces for like-minded zealots to speak to each other and 
reinforce their presuppositions. The treatment of Dr. Cole on other 
blogs is a case in point. Often right wing bloggers confuse ideas he 
summarizes from other sources for Dr. Cole's own arguments. Dr. 
Cole's blog stands apart, in my mind, because he maintains high 
standards of scholarship, but even here he's occasionally seduced by 
the easy cheap shot that he knows his, mostly leftist, audience will 
appreciate.

Answer 2:   Informed Comment simply keeps the information available to anyone 
who chooses to get more informaton.  Many of the blogs I stopped 
reading became more about the blogger than the facts.  This blog 
continues to offer information pertinent to the subject. .

Answer 3: Some days I wish he didn't have so much to teach me.  The format is 
very usable because I can glance through some things and stop to 
focus on others.  I wouldn't change any of it.

Answer 4: I rate the format strongly--rapid, interative
I could write too much  on strengths and weaknesses to anser.

Answer 5: The world needs more Juan Coles to help reinforce democracy and 
nurture the wisdom to avoid conflict thru thoughtfull and wiser 
solutions on global and local problems.
Ignorance and hubris created American Imperialism and the rise of 
hatefull ideologies such as suicide bombers.
We need to understand the cause and develop solutions rather than 
attack symptoms.

Answer 6: Like the format very much.   I read it to get Cole's references and 
opinion; I trust him to quote at length from perspectives that he 
finds valuable.

Answer 7: I personally prefer the format, as it is developed by an expert. This 
is a major contrast with weblogs that run by bright individuals but 
with little practical historical contact with their source material

Answer 8: Comments would be nice, but they are not necessary on Informed 
Comment.  Professor Cole is not shy about posting any comments or 
letters that express opposing views and are well documented.

Answer 9: No.

Answer 10: The strength of IC is Juan Cole's knowledge and it's overall content 
is excellent.

Answer 11: Sometimes the authors can get distracted by a side issue or be a 
little too personal. Sometimes it seems there are dueling blogs... 
and only seeing half of the duel is not a very interesting read.

Answer 12: No, not really.  I love reading it.  I would like him to write more in it.

Answer 13: No pictures! No dumbing down! No corporate censorship!

Answer 14: I am glad the the site can now share readers' comments. It should be 
even more informative and lively.

Answer 15: IC is one of my daily favorites

Answer 16: no comments.  i like the site the way that it is.

Answer 17: No

Answer 18: None

Answer 19: blogs in general -- sure. NO depth to most.. just opinions that 
scratch the surface and that don't leave one with much confidence. 
but i must confess i was biased by his being a professor so i 
exppected depth but was surprised to see how readable it is

Answer 20: One must always have sme salt ready.

Answer 21: no, just keep up the good work

Answer 22: it is good the way it is

Answer 23: No

Answer 24: I really enjoy the summary of events in detail, specifcally when 
Prof. Cole translates Arabic language news into English. I would love 
to read more history. I would also like to hear about progressive 
movements in the Middle East.

Answer 25: Cole is  talking about including comments made by his audience.  I 
don't think that this is a good idea.  It will eat up his time, and 
it will deflect his focus,
In a site such as IC I am looking for expert opinion, based on good 
information.  I do not expect to find enough of that in the audience 
comments, and will not want to wade through all of the crap that is 
likely to show up, and so I will not read it.  No big deal, except 
that it reduces the quality of Cole's time and effort.

Answer 26: Strengths: adaptable and accessible.  Weaknesses: none come to mind.

Answer 27: I think it would be a mistake for Cole to include comments. I'm not 
down on political rhetoric, but I get plenty of it elsewhere.

Answer 28: I think we are moving along well. Hinted at in the asking of the 
questions is the lack of other broad minded experts in the humanities 
who could do this. I think of Michael Mirowski, the economic 
historian. I would love to see a loose network of humanists from 
various disciplines taking on the cross disciplinary issues. It is 
interesting to compare Cole to Bread Delong, the economist, whi is 
good, but erratic and jumps from story to story without continuity. 
Cole has found a story that is worthy of continuity. Josh Marshall 
did it for social security.

Answer 29: I like the clean format and how he knows when to link to another 
article for fuller explanation rather than repeat this arguments in 
his text.

Answer 30: None

Answer 31: Maybe more white space and more headings to make it an easier read 
for nonacademics.

Answer 32: Doesn't the guy ever take a day off?

Answer 33: Not really; the formats are generally similar, easily navigable and readable.
I did just read what Professor Cole wrote about comments, and I know 
that in order to maintain the level of intelligent discussion on any 
blog, the site needs an editor who lets everyone know what's 
acceptable and what's not, and then behaves accordingly and 
consistently by refusing postings which are out of line with agreed 
upon guidelines ~ this, as Professor Cole points out, is 
time-consuming and requires a thick skin, but if done 
conscientiously, makes for lively commenting and challenging 
discussion.

Answer 34: generally, i don't have the screen stamina for blogs.  i am a tactile 
print type.

Answer 35: No. Not about IC. The other issue, blogs in general, would not apply to IC.

Answer 36: The strengths are that a variety of opinions not necessarily the 
officiall line emerges in Blogs and newspapers write to sell and 
rattract advertisers

Answer 37: I like it. I like the comments running down the left and the 
ads/promotions on the right (instead of on both sides of the 
commentary), which I occasionally check. I like the way it's so easy 
to figure out when the comment was posted.

Answer 38: I disagree with his reasons for not having a comment section, since 
he believes his software provider can kep the junk out. He does not 
need to respond or manage the comments. We are all intelligent enough 
to dismissthe nuts.
Let the opinions flow freely.

Answer 39: There have always been bad writers; writers who have a great deal to 
say about topics that they know almost nothing about.  Many blogs 
fall in this category, they are a new kind of vanity publishing.
Then there are blogs with a specific purpose, such as Dailykos, which 
is trying to revive the Democratic party. These are interesting at 
first, but rapidly lose their novelty if you are not a committed 
activist engaged in the conversation.
Other blogs are written by opinion columnists -- Andrew Sullivan or 
Mickey Kaus, or those writing on the Huffington Post.  The quality of 
these varies a great deal as does the quality of columns printed in 
newspapers and magazines.
Some blogs are conversations among professionals, offering them a 
chance to keep up with and comment on developments in their field. 
They have limited attraction for those who are not part of the 
profession.
Informed Comment is in the great tradition of the expert who explains 
for a popular audience the subject where she or he is working.  Paul 
Krugman's column in the New York Times, when he discusses economics, 
is another example of this.
I think the strengths of such a blog have been described in all of my answers.
There are two important weakensses.  First, it takes an exceptional 
writer to keep something like this going for a long time without an 
editor. Prof. Cole has done it, but I wonder how many others could.
Second, having to write every day, or more often, means that readers 
will always get your best stuff.  The reflection and revision that 
are required for exceptional writing are less possible in this format.
Prof. Cole, I notice, sometimes writes only a little.  Perhaps he is 
wisely giving himself a rest.
Then

Answer 40: The format is adequate.  Not very stylish - but ok.

Answer 41: Nothing that is not stated above.

Answer 42: I don't read enough blogs to have an opinion... except as noted. I 
think informed comment is better, meaning, that it avoids speculation 
that often seems designed to make the story interesting and 
entertaining.

Answer 43: Yes, streaming video would bring a more familer format to all.

Answer 44: Most of the time there is so much update on J.C.'s site that I cannot 
read them all. It may be my fault, but to me his content is 
overwhelming.

Answer 45: I am very grateful to Mr. Cole for taking the time and energy to do this blog.

Answer 46: Ah, format. The narrow column seems awkward but maybe it's the best. 
The ads have been of zero interest to me, but as long as no animation 
is allowed they're tolerable (or maybe I have successfully blocked 
the animation?).

Answer 47: No

Answer 48: Any blog is primarily the author's opinion. How they handle that and 
the facts used to back up their statements is a good indication to 
how true, or slanted, the opinions are. One reason why I enjoy, and 
deeply saddened, by Riverbend's blog.

Answer 49: no

Answer 50: None worth typing.

Answer 51: I like Informed Comment's clean and uncluttered layout. I like that 
there is a way to get independant views and opinions accross. Some 
blogs are little more than personal rants, which is perfectly 
acceptable, but I prefer something with more substance.

Answer 52: The recently added comments section is a good idea, although if the 
moderation of the comments detracts from the time invested in finding 
and commenting on quality material, then it should be revisited.

Answer 53: Format seems fine to me.

Answer 54: One interesting part of blogs like Electronic Intifada is guest 
speakers who give an opinion "from the ground"  It would be nice if 
IC did something similar, i.e. having the prof publish some of his 
own questions and answers from whatever sources he uses (if possible)

Answer 55: No

Answer 56: most blogs are a waste of time.

Answer 57: I thinnk IC still tends to give the American military the benefit of 
the doubt. ie, US military personnel are honourable individuals doing 
a difficult job in circumstances created by unschooled politicians. 
Doesn't address the, often leading, role of US military Industrial 
complex in creating and sustaining conflict.
Also not enough on Iran.

Answer 58: Weakness: audience is limited.

Answer 59: No.  I stop reading other blogs that bore me or are just rants.  I 
still read Juan Cole after four years, checking pretty well every day.

Answer 60: I've started avoiding the comments sections of various blogs because 
of the drivel and flamewars.  Some commenters add value to the 
discussion, but most do not.
The strength of the blogs is hearing directly from various experts. 
The sense of immediacy is more than just timeliness.  The people 
whose journals I read are often people who'd be welcome to drop by 
for coffee and conversation.

Answer 61: IC is easy to read, to the point with credable authority.

Answer 62: Strengths: He posts often and he is straightforward.
Weaknesses: ?

Answer 63: no

Answer 64: I'm delighted to see he's decided to add comments!

Answer 65: no, but i don't know what i'd do without them!

Answer 66: no

Answer 67: no

Answer 68: I would strenuously argue against the inclusion of comments on 
Informed Comment. I have nothing but my own experience to go on. I, 
for one, feel the site is fine as it is.

Answer 69: nope

Answer 70: I like blogs, but professor Cole's Informed Comment is a rarity. 
Firedoglake is a quite different blog, the similarity is professional 
people--in this case lawyers--apply their area of expertise to 
affairs of the day.  I read some blogs about computer issues mainly 
through feeds, and those are useful too.  People like me of a certain 
age can probably only handle a few blogs that you want to frequently 
go to the Website to read--like Informed Comment.  But even people my 
age can enjoy and benefit from keeping an eye out at numerous blogs 
to sort of get a pulse about what's happening in various corners of 
the Interenet.

Answer 71: Nope.

Answer 72: No complaints.

Answer 73: Nope.  Like it the way it is.

Answer 74: I prefer IC to blogs that rely heavily on many comments. It has a 
much better signal-to-noise ratio, more thoughtful commentary and 
useful information, fewer comments about internal housekeeping and 
policies, and less cuteness.

Answer 75: I read it via RSS, and instead of coming one by one, the articles 
tend to come in a flood.  This means that I skip over most of it.

Answer 76: I like te formar a lot...the links are clear and effective. I worry 
about addding comments, though. They tend to make blogs unwieldy and 
I'd rather he devoted his time to his otherwise great work rather 
than editing the rants of "SgtFuryFromFortBenning" or some other damn 
fool. A comment that's helpful, insightful or educational is usually 
outnumbered 100 to 1 by stuff like "yeah, Cheney really sucks, 
man...."

Answer 77: The strength is primarily in the fact that the author is a renowned 
authority on the subject; it is a sad commentary that most people who 
give information about various regions of the world in public forums 
or publications are not the most informed about them.  It's weakness, 
however, is that one has to go looking for Prof. Cole's 
blog--mainstream sites do not always utilize his site when creating 
links to content on the region.  I have actually been surprised at 
just how successful the blog has been despite these weaknesses.

Answer 78: I think the strength of Juan's site so far has been that he knows who 
he is and what he has to offer.  Just keep writing!

Answer 79: I work in Iraq and I read Informed Comment everyday.  I find it to be 
the best open source analysis available.

Answer 80: It does a good job of describing Iraqis' reactions to the invasion, 
but does not have mich visibility in the conditions US troops and the 
erstwhile CPA worked under. William Langewiesche's excellent 
reporting in The Atlantic makes up for it.

Answer 81: IC is a model for me. I have to check it daily. I also appreciated a 
fast response from Cole when I sent him a comment.

Answer 82: I feel he does an excellent job of reporting news and offering 
comment when he thinks it is necessary.

Answer 83: The greatest strength of blogs in general is that they are open to 
everyone and that is also the greatest weakness.

Answer 84: we are so fortunate to have Prof. Cole blog - he is an antidote to 
the spin & propaganda of the amerikan mainstream corporate owned 
media.
Prof. Cole recently added a 'Comments' section to each entry - i am 
not a big fan of comments as ignorant stupid people tend to show up - 
billmon @ whiskey bar turned his comments off last year. we shall 
have to see how this experiment turns out. I read IC for Prof. Cole's 
insights and his ability to speak to Truth.

Answer 85: The format is simple and works well. The only issue I occasionally 
have is with external links which require registration. It would be 
helpful if these were flagged.

Answer 86: Very easy to read, scan and serch. Good format. Credible. Is read by 
many of my colleagues in the British Armed Forces.

Answer 87: I like that it is mostly Juan with an occasional well-considered 
guest.  I'm less enchanted with the idea of commenters writing in 
crap off the cuff.  Sometimes you get gems that way but mostly it is 
a waste of time.

Answer 88: I  particularly like the links he presents for reference to the news 
he is quoting.

Answer 89: Very workable format on Informed Comment.  I tend to rush through the 
reporting to get to Cole's analyses, which are always enlightening. 
No other blog is so informative.

Answer 90: nothing special

Answer 91: You soon learn the biases of each blog and take them into account as you read.

Answer 92: YES. There's not enough reasoned analysis in general on all websites. 
Every day I look for more interesting perspectives and analysis and 
usually I am only partly satisfied.

Answer 93: None other than what was stated above.

Answer 94: He occasionally veers off into highly liberal and not particularly 
well-informed rants on subjects not particularly germaine to his area 
of expertise.

Answer 95: I like that he just added comments.  Other than that I was happy with 
it as it was.  it is simple and e asy to read.

Answer 96: It is very strongly informative, and I can't demand anymore of 
Professor Cole's time.

Answer 97: Strengths: simple format, no frills, links to other sources, space 
given to different intelligent opinions.  Weaknesses: he's just one 
man with other responsibilities (real job) and can only focus one one 
area at a time.

Answer 98: It's ok.

Answer 99: It's easy on the eyes. And don't tell your advertisers, but if one 
minimizes the screen just right, one can eliminate the annoying ads 
that run on the side.

Answer 100: I am a bit concerned that informedcomment will now have comments -- 
for the most part, I find the comments sections of blogs to be 
exercises in vanity, including my own participation!  Seriously, 
though, I think comments make readers feel they've done something or 
have had some contact that matters and I am growing increasingly wary 
of this.
Re blogs in general.  Hm.  I enjoy them immensely, partly because 
it's fascinating to me to see what folks are doing and thinking. 
Also, many blogs are the work of people much younger than myself, so 
that's fun.  I have to admit, however, that I read no rightwing 
blogs, at all.  I already know what they have to say and who they 
hate.  Why bother.

Answer 101: Beyond my expertise.  I am just an ordinary American.

Answer 102: Informed Comment viewed as 'serious" , more in depth, more 
specialized and knowledgable  than other blogs in general.

Answer 103: no

Answer 104: I'm perfectly at home with the format as it is. I wish I could save 
every single one of them, print them out and distribute them 
worldwide! That is how much I appreciate Juan Cole and his blog.

Answer 105: I would say that this is one of my favorite blogs to read because it 
is such a nice clean format. Many blogs have so many other windows 
and links and sidebars and backgrounds and - it all gets 
over-stimulating. But IC is just the basics, which is good.

Answer 106: I visit IC daily, what's not to like?  Juan writes eloquently about 
the shortcommings of the mainstream media and his own writing 
reflects a clear understanding of where the MSM fails and where his 
knowledge and experience can help to fill this void.

Answer 107: Blogs are both supplementary and complementary to the world of books 
- it is their real-time nature, and the ease with which they may 
reflect the singular interests and personality of the individual 
author or authors, which give them value.  They self-correct faster, 
and draw interest to their issues in an evolved, spiral, unfolding 
manner, without the top-down planning necessary for books.

Answer 108: I have a hard time finding the time to keep up regularly with all but 
the most valuable to me, the ones that I think keep me informed of 
vital affairs and not just space-filling chatter, and those offering 
hard news and expert commentary, like IC, get my attention much more 
regularly than others.   In general, I think that blogs are too new a 
phenomenon to judge their effect, but I do know that there are 
probably so many that cutting thru the white noise is getting harder 
and harder.  When everybody's talking, who's listening?

Answer 109: RSS of full posts!  No annoying flashy design.

Answer 110: IC format seems ideal - unobtrusive, easy to read, easy to access 
linked articles

Answer 111: I read Juans first thing in the morning so I guess you could say I 
must think his is the strongest for I'd go somewhere else first if I 
thought otherwise.

Answer 112: I appreciate imagery, and Juan is focused on words.  I wouldn't want 
him to change that, though.  On the plus side - being able to link to 
primary sources is a very powerful advantage of blogging.

Answer 113: I think I covered this in question 6.

Answer 114: Cole rarely comments on the Israel/Palestine conflict or broader 
issues like the causes of the war.  I think he should.

Answer 115: Informed Comment is unusual, becase of the authority of the author. 
The problem with blogs is that they have very little external 
incentive to be accurate, beyond the ethics of the blogger. 
Newspapers that are consistently wrong see their reputations suffer. 
Although I suppose this does not necessarily affect their circulation.

Answer 116: I only read a few blogs.  I like Informed Comment and David Corn's 
blog best.  I also check Left Coaster and Daily Kos regularly.  I 
don't like their format as well.  It is clutterd.  I like 
Huffington's blog, also.

Answer 117: None whatsoever. As I emailed Professor Cole several years ago: "God 
bless you."

Answer 118: Independence from major media corporations can give blogs the more 
realistic perspective on the world's events I DEMAND, and am grateful 
for.  Perhaps more than any other single development of the last ~5 
years, access to these sources of information, and the growing 
stature they have attained, represents the most positive development 
in the strength of American democracy I have witnessed.

Answer 119: It would take a miracle for a better Iraq blog to appear.

Answer 120: I think the flexibility inherent in blogs is a strength -- a site may 
post as much or as little as the author feels is appropriate.  For 
instance, in addition to telling us the latest news at Informed 
Comment, Cole often gives a little background or context to the news 
for readers not familiar with the Middle East.

Answer 121: Great for cataloging specific developments, less useful for overview, 
big-picture discussions.

Answer 122: I suppose I am accustomed to reading longer lines and to preferring them,
but I can see the argument for the present form.

Answer 123: His page doesn't take forever to load (on a phone line)!
Uncluttered!

Answer 124: Sometimes I'm annoyed at the high level of 
advertsing on the blog sites. I'm not opposed to 
advertising on these sites, but I'd like it to be 
less intrusive.

Answer 125: Main strength of IC is its easily digestible daily portion.  Any 
further expansion in content and/or format would make it less likely 
that I could work my way through it on a daily basis.  Plus, keeping 
it rather small and limited would seem to be good for Juan's sake -- 
we don't want him burning out.  The spawning of TPM Cafe from 
talkingpointsmemo.com is, for my tastes, an example of over-expansion 
-- becomes too much to keep up with.

Answer 126: I do love his new comments section -

Answer 127: At times he gets just a little pejorative, could tone that down even 
when it is perfectly justified.

Answer 128: Blogs are not subject to word-count or editors. They are a space 
where one can post as much (or as little) as they wish.

Answer 129: I like IC very much.

Answer 130: Gives a lot of information about the region in a quick read

Answer 131: I welcome his opinions.

Answer 132: Most bloggers use the standard format where old articles totally 
disappear into the archives.  It would be better if longer, 
especially important analyses could be posted in an "essays" section 
that would be easier to reach.  For example, Professor Cole in person 
gives a two hour talk which is an excellent backgrounder on the 
geopolitics leading up to the Iraq war.  If this was written up as an 
article and posted on his site, it would be excellent for public 
consumption, and would probably steer more readers to his blog.
In general I think bloggers (and blogging software) underuse the 
potential to put up longer articles which are listed permanently in 
an essay menu of some kind, rather than scrolling off the page into 
near-oblivion.

Answer 133: IC is excellent.

Answer 134: I worry that the newly added comments section will attract the Likud 
supporters which will drag the tone down.
PS. I don't know how JC manages to combine his regular activities 
with his blogging -- a peerless accomplishment.

Answer 135: No comment about Informed Comment, as it feels just perfect as a 
personal blog.  Other blogs are what they are, and people choose the 
styles and formats that please them.  I like Buzzflash because of 
it's outrageous headlines and visit some others because their 
headlines are more sober.  The commenters like kos and Josh Marshall 
(and Cole) may be my favorites, because it's nearly like a dialogue, 
especially if one uses the comments.

Answer 136: like it

Answer 137: Commitment is important.  With most journalists, for instance the 
sources of Reuters items, I assume it is just a job.  The result is 
myopic, bland, often mistaken (omitting key info) and useless.  Juan 
brings depth, understanding, and personality.

Answer 138: I have my doubts about his proposal to add a comments section.  From 
my reading, these seem to be bulletin boards for the ignorant and the 
insane.

Answer 139: Well, it's not the jazziest of blogs, but who cares?  It's clear and 
easy to read, the links show up well, and I'm happy with it.

Answer 140: No

Answer 141: Again, bad question. VERY bad question. "Blogs in general" are 
whatever uses blogging sw. As it happens, it's immediately obvious 
that Cole does not use this in the typical fashion. The typical use 
of blogging software is two steps above the typical use of toilet 
stall partitions by people with felt-tip writers. So? How about Power 
Point in general?

Answer 142: Once in a while the translations and/or guest commentator articles are too long

Answer 143: I think it would be helpful to have more in opinion articles from 
other knowledgeable people like Cole.

Answer 144: no

Answer 145: It may be about time to consult a web page designer for an update. 
But nothing wrong with kieeping it simple.

Answer 146: I'm glad Juan has now brought in comments for readers. The strengths 
- speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness, independence. The weaknesses - 
there need to be more of them - perhaps with staff support for those 
that do well. A danger is that Informed Comment is so dependent on 
one person. The main problem is that not enough people read it 
(Informed Comment).

Answer 147: I don't have any complaints about IC. I like it how it is! The 
strengths of blogs generally are:
- There isn't someone watching over your shoulder telling you that 
what you're writing is not the "acceptable" thing to write.
- You can learn about things you wouldn't be able to otherwise, due 
to lack of time to crawl various news sites.
Also, a strength about IC is that Mr. Cole translates articles, or 
parts thereof, from Arabic-language newspapers- something most 
Westerners don't get a chance to read. It can give another 
perspective, or another side of the story, than what a person would 
get if they just read, say, American media.

Answer 148: If Juan Cole had a staff and a large budget he could probably do a 
really good job but at that point it would not be a blog it would be 
an emagazine and the persons paying the expenses would likely want to 
control the message.

Answer 149: no

Answer 150: Informed Comment has a different layout, so sometimes you must scroll 
down a fair way to get all the news, but I don't mind.  It motivates 
me to check it daily.

Answer 151: I think it's great, overall.  Occasionally too much local detail for 
me personally, but that's ok--it's not available elsewhere, after all.
I'm glad you're bringing in a comments section.

Answer 152: no

Answer 153: It works for me.
I do wish he'd stop postring only a poertion of his articles that 
have run in Salon.com because their site is notorious for being 
screwed up in terms of that 'day pass' they tout. It rarely lets you 
in to read the pieces.

Answer 154: One of the great strengths of the format is the long-term archive, 
which allows one to distribute links to postings without having to 
worry about the URL expiring.

Answer 155: An RSS reader helps tremendously. I've noticed that some blogs don't 
publish an RSS feed and I thnk that is a mistake. I read many blogs, 
on many topics, using NetNewswire - I used SharpReader when on 
Windows systems. I think the format of IC is very good.

Answer 156: I believe it is one of the best blogs on the net. Plus I like Dr. 
Cole's style. He is knowledgable, but not a "know it all." He tells 
you when material is questionable, identify's sources or explains why 
a source might not be reliable.

Answer 157: RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is key. I read the weblog in 
NetNewsWire, an RSS aggregator.

Answer 158: Well, come on ... the graphic look and feel are pretty crappy but 
I've grown comfortable with it and don't know that I'd want a change. 
As I reload many pages several times a day, twould be nice if the 
pages were kept shorter - a peeve I have with many blogs - or at 
least I should be able to set a cookie asking for a shorter page, 
perhaps with some kind of indicator when content hasn't yet been 
viewed. How bout them apples.

Answer 159: It informes me daily on the situation in Iraq, Middle East, plus USA

Answer 160: fromat is find quck links very readable and too the point

Answer 161: No, not really.

Answer 162: I sometimes think he's fallen over the brink between objectivity and 
left wing trendy.
i.e. reading him one might imagine there has been no reconstruction 
at all in Iraq.
otoh, perhaps there hasn't...

Answer 163: no

Answer 164: I am skeptical of the move to larger commentary (open comments) on 
his blog. I feel it will be distracting for him and hurt the overall 
quality of the site.

Answer 165: I LOVE Informed Comment.  Blogs, (as are humans in general) cover the 
gamut in reliability and significance.  Just as with all products, 
reputations and brands are earned as a function of delivering 
quality.  IC has done that, as have a handful of other blogs.

Answer 166: n

Answer 167: No.

Answer 168: Cole often presents analysis by others either in support or oppositon 
to his own ideas. This is a particularly strong point of his blog. As 
to blogs in general, I prefer those blogs which provide both news and 
analysis. I would prefer the blogger have a stated interest and 
background particular to his/her subject.

Answer 169: The strenght is that they by and large are independent from the 
corporate media. The weaknesses would beging to show if one confines 
himself / herself to limited number of bloggers ( as I sometimes 
wonder if I am not in that gategory myself; but I do try to be 
unbiased..)

Answer 170: No comments

Answer 171: I really like the format

Answer 172: Strengths: thoughtful and informed comments just as advertised

Answer 173: I think it already is very good.  Having said that, perhaps comment 
and opinion could contrast more with reporting simply by means of a 
different type font or some other mechanical technique.  But again, 
it already is clear if one pays any attention at all.

Answer 174: THe only weakness for me is its strength. That is, there is so much 
information on Informed Comment that it is not always easy to digest 
it all.

Answer 175: As long as it develops it's ok. Change is the key to the internet, 
and going along with or ahead of it.

Answer 176: The format is fine.

Answer 177: strengths- when he stays with the facts, weakness when he interjects 
his own leftwing bias- sometimes, this can all but cancel out his 
strengths.

Answer 178: None

Answer 179: None

Answer 180: Would be nice to have set links to other sources.

Answer 181: No just keep up good work

Answer 182: single perspective

Answer 183: Blogs are great source of informtion, as well as a great source of 
disinformation. Reader discretion is advised! ;-)

Answer 184: IC format seems very straight forward and easy to approach.

Answer 185: The most interesting blog now structurally is dailykos because of its 
diaries and comments.

Answer 186: I was going to gripe about the lack of comments, but that seems to be 
changing. The other issue for me is one of design, namely that when 
I'm scrolling quickly to scan for new posts it is hard to tell where 
one entry ends and another begins. Bigger title fonts. more 
whitespace would probably solve the problem.

Answer 187: Well, come on ... the graphic look and feel are pretty crappy but 
I've grown comfortable with it and don't know that I'd want a change. 
As I reload many pages several times a day, twould be nice if the 
pages were kept shorter - a peeve I have with many blogs - or at 
least I should be able to set a cookie asking for a shorter page, 
perhaps with some kind of indicator when content hasn't yet been 
viewed. How bout them apples.

Answer 188: not about format, but  the only -ve i would like to point out, is his 
increasing comments that pertain to democrats-republican rifts of 
USA. being an outsider, i find it, at times, of no interest and of no 
practical importance. the same would likely be of interest for 
americans but not for others.

Answer 189: No, seems fine.  The one problem with blogs in general is the trolls.

Answer 190: Blogs cover a wide spectrum,  you have to keep looking at different 
ones.  With the current status of the news not covering correctly 
events blogs are essential

Answer 191: The sidebar could use reorganization. It has a cluttered feel, and 
the in-site Google search should be brought nearer to the top for 
ease of access.

Answer 192: I do not subscribe to any magazines or newspapers. I get all my 
information on the web, NPR, & PBS.  i just go with my gut / life 
experience to choose who to trust

Answer 193: I find the format to be ideally suited to the nature of the material.

Answer 194: Juan Cole is the best on the ME.  Reading the best of the blogs has 
kept me better informed that if I relied on only on newspapers and 
TV.  I do rely a great deal on newspapers, not so much on TV, so 
blogs are supplemental, but essential.

8) Please mention any individuals whose blog you read regularly.

Answer 1: Andrew Sullivan's sometimes. I try to poke around right wing blogs 
trying to understand their arguments. Sometimes the Daily Kos, but 
not regularly. On issues other than the middle east, I like 
www.whatsthefuss.com.

Answer 2:   Dahr Jamal
Riverbend
Healing Iraq

Answer 3: I read Juan Cole most regularly.  And I recommend his blog to 
everyone who will listen.  I read others when I have time.

Answer 4: BradDeLong, Lew Rockwell, Bilmon, Firedoglake (Jane Hamsher and 
others there), theleftcoaster, Steven C. Clemons, Wayne Madsen, The 
last Hurrah, Digby

Answer 5: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 6: He's the only one, though I also read Helena Cobban periodically.

Answer 7: Professor Cole's is the only one  I read daily. I read many others 
sporadically.

Answer 8: Josh Marshall, Billmon, Daily Kos, From the Wilderness, James Howard 
Kunzler, David Corn

Answer 9: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 10: Juan Cole and crooksandliars.com

Answer 11: Dan Fromkin and Wonkette

Answer 12: David Sirota, Andrew Sullivan

Answer 13: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 14: The only other blog I read as consistently is WorldChanging.
I also read: Bruce Sterling's Viridian design movement is essentially a blog.
BagNewsNotes
Ted Rall

Answer 15: No others regularly.

Answer 16: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 17: Joshua Micah Mitchell, daily kos,

Answer 18: david corn, josh marshall

Answer 19: dkos, atrios, HuffPost, SmirkChimp, TPM, MyDD, JesusGen, firedog, 
iraq dispatches, counterpunch

Answer 20: wil wheaton
slactivist
moby
amanda craft http://www.xanga.com/amandacraft217
riverbend
others mentioned above

Answer 21: None

Answer 22: TalkingPoints, Informed Comment, Huffington Post.

Answer 23: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 24: i read bunches of them... both political and technical..
-jsb

Answer 25: See 4 above.

Answer 26: dailykos, americablog, atrios

Answer 27: Billmon - Whiskey Bar; Bernhard - Moon of Alabama;  General Glut's 
Globblog; Calculated Risk;  Michael Shedlock - Global Economic Trend 
Analysis.

Answer 28: socceer girl

Answer 29: Daily Kos, Atrios, Digby, Steve Clemons, etc.

Answer 30: Gary Sauer-Thompson, Erica Alterman, 
http://jdeanicite.typepad.com/i_cite/, Tom Tomorrow, Glen Reynolds, 
Daily Cos, Accidental Hedonist, BoingBoing, Jesus' General, Human 
Events Online blog, direland, Yasaar Sheikosalaami's 
(http://yasaar.gotdns.org/blog/Yasaar/)

Answer 31: BopNews

Answer 32: Markos Moulitsas Z™niga, Helena Cobban, Brad 
DeLong, Michael Cortese, Steve Clemons, Elaine 
Supkis, Benito M. Vergara, Jr., Lindsay 
Beyerstein, John Dvorak, Gaurang Bhatt, Chris 
Floyd, Petite Anglaise (pseudonym) --  etc, etc.

Answer 33: Atrios, MaxSpeak, Talking Points Memo...the usual suspects.

Answer 34: Billmon, whose maturity and wisdom is, i think because of years, 
ahead of cole, but not as focused and sometimes paalyzed by his own 
justifiable anger. His use of literature is a wonderful example. It 
is more arty and opinonated than informed comment. i like them both
Beyond that
talkingpoints memo
brad delong
crooked timber
billmon
clemmons
scoble (on tech)
tom dispatch
and not quite blogs
abc's the note and WP's Whitehouse briefing.
I scan about 20 others a few times a week.
feel free to contact me doug@dougcarmichael.com

Answer 35: John Quiggin, Elaine Supkis, Brad DeLong, James D Hamilton

Answer 36: I have gotten interested in Shia Islam so i read sistani.org and 
several blogs by Shia women students in North America, mostly from 
Bahrain.

Answer 37: Michael Berube, Ariana Huffington, Steven Clemons, Josh Marshall, 
James Walcott, Daily Kos, The American Progress ?tapped.  Do you have 
other suggestions??

Answer 38: Friedman, Krugman, Dowd, Rich when I can. I'm not a member of Times Select.

Answer 39: Anyone who posts for free what others have to pay the New York Times to read.

Answer 40: Grumpy Old Bookman and Informed Comment.

Answer 41: only juan's.  i cherish how much i continue to learn from him,  and 
am proud to be a physical alumni of juan, the history department, and 
umichigan.

Answer 42: Sometimes I do not read blogs for days because I'm too busy, but 
usually I start or end my day reading Billmon and Digby. I'll read 
Booman Tribune for Jerome (from Paris') posts. But I will also read a 
blog because of a particular subject they cover well, and then not 
read them for a long time.

Answer 43: Lew Rockwell, Dahr Jamail

Answer 44: Juah Cole, Tom Engelhardt, Kevin Drum, Atrios (Duncan Black?), all daily.
Dahr Jamail once a week or so, River Bend occasionally

Answer 45: The Nation

Answer 46: Right now, the Huffington Post is the only other, and I don't read 
everyone there.

Answer 47: Huffington Post, AntiWar.com, Salon, Tom's dispatch, Pat Buchanan, Mark Dannen

Answer 48: Murray Waas and Laura Rozen

Answer 49: I read salon.com's War Room. I'd have to say the UK Guardian often 
has better accounts of some of the issues. Most US sources are 
appalling and getting worse.

Answer 50: Listed above.  On a personal note , please allow for me, the 
uneducated and only recently aware.

Answer 51: Daniel Drezner

Answer 52: Eschaton, DailyKos: daily

Answer 53: No others.

Answer 54: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 55: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 56: http://www.billmon.org/
http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/
http://shininglight.us/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Answer 57: Right now it's Rense.com (Yes I know they can be past Pluto in their 
opinions.), Riverbend and Mr. Cole's. There are others that I'm 
exploring  but don't read on a regular basis as I'm so busy. Others 
are Free Iraq and Syria Comment as well as a favorite of mine, Regina 
Lynn's "Sex Drive," that has morphed into a blog as well as her 
Friday column.

Answer 58: Daily Kos; Eschaton; James Wolcott; Josh Marshall; Talk Left; Steve 
Gilliard; Kevin Drum Common Dreams; Hoffmania; the Huffington post

Answer 59: Steve Clemons, Joshua Micah Marshall, John Aravosis, Markos, et al 
(DailyKos), Atrios (Eschaton), Digby (Hullabaloo), Somersby (The 
Daily Howler), Steve Gilliard (NewsBlog), James Wolcott...the usual 
suspects.

Answer 60: Juan Coles Informed Comment is primary. Will visit other blog site 
occasionaly including: Daily KOS, TruthOut and Counter Punch

Answer 61: Andrew Sullivan, Riverbend, Juan Cole, The Sports Economist (numerous 
bloggers).

Answer 62: Stan Goff, Riverbend - Baghdad Burning, Jean D'Arc, Tom Tomorrow

Answer 63: Edward Felten

Answer 64: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 65: Huffington, JackBog (Portland, OR), Tom Tomorrow

Answer 66: None

Answer 67: syria.comment

Answer 68: Joshua Micah Marshall, Steve Clemons, Arianna Huffington, As'ad Abu kalil,

Answer 69: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 70: Conason; Rich; Some Buzzflash; Some Huffingtonpost; Townhall.

Answer 71: Kos, Washingon Monthly, Hullabaloo, Bump in the Beltway, JWN
Ask Jack (Guardian web/tech blog)

Answer 72: Informed Comment, Raed in the Middle, Riverbend, Back to Iraq; 
Huffington, BAGnews, Billmon.  Dailykos and others are more sporadic. 
And I keep an eye on Doonesbury. ;)
********************
You didn't ask, but we WILL need books, history books, at some future 
point to describe how America went from Republic to Empire.  Perhaps 
our Suetonius hasn't yet been born, but he'll need a tool of more 
permanence than pixels.

Answer 73: dailyKos, Echaton, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo (for 
political commentary).  Body and Soul (for anti-torture news). 
Orcinus

Answer 74: Arianna Huffington and others with a liberal bent. I also read Rush Limbough.

Answer 75: Agonist
Atrios

Answer 76: too many to remember.

Answer 77: Almost every day: Josh Marshall, Laura Rozen, Billmon, Simbaud (King 
of Zembla),
Some days: Left Coaster,  Brad Plumer, Brad DeLong, Matt Yglesias, 
Fafblog, Tom Burka (Opinions You Should Have).
Plus several non-political blogs: 360 Degrees of Sky, Random Acts of 
Reality, The Religious Policeman (ie not US political), London 
Underground Tube Diary,  Jonny B's Diary.

Answer 78: billmon. josh marshall. firedoglake. justin raimondo

Answer 79: Chris Mooney...although now deteriorated into a sales report, he used 
to offer great links to scientific thought and probably will again. 
Led me to Carl Zimmer's blog which I read on occasions.

Answer 80: engelhardt.  normon solomon.  pilger.  and many more.

Answer 81: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 82: see 4

Answer 83: Josh Marshall TPM
James Wolcott
Billimon
Digby
Steve Clemmons
Ed Kilgore
black looks
Flogging the Simian
probably others

Answer 84: current events(political): political animal, talking points memo, 
bullmoose ,newdonkey, billmon, daily dish, matthew yglesias
economics: angry bear, brad delong, caculated risk
political humor: jesus' general, fafblog,shrillblog
local politics; (wa state) washington state political report, 
washblog, coolaqua,

Answer 85: David Neiwert's Orcinus, Left I

Answer 86: David Corn and truthout - in addition to Juan.

Answer 87: Laura Rozen and the Daily Kos

Answer 88: Cole, and Huffington.  And "Antiwar".

Answer 89: Josh Marshall (talkingpointsmemo.com)
Markos Moulitsas (DailyKos.com)

Answer 90: Raed Jarrar.

Answer 91: There's over 200, I could possible list them all.  Of the more 
famous, regular ones, there's Jaun Cole,  Jim Kunstler, Neil Gaiman, 
Paul Graham, Jamie Zawinski and Alistair Coleman (scaryduck)

Answer 92: Brad DeLong, James Wolcott, redstate.org( arelatively balanced 
Republican/right wing site), Matt Drudge (to know what the enemy is 
thinking), Peter Daou, Arianna Huffington (a Drudge for us lefties), 
the Counterterrorism Blog.

Answer 93: I read a blog called "truthtalkz" by a friend of mine, mostly because 
he emails it to me.  However, I don't tend to look at many other 
blogs due to a lack of time.

Answer 94: As I said - Dailykos, talkingpointsmemo, Tomdispatch, Salon-various, 
James Wolcott (because he is so New York)

Answer 95: none

Answer 96: Too many to mention. In the public policy arena, Brad De Long, Rahul 
Mahajan, Ed Felten, Jim Kunstler, Christopher Allbritton, Wendy 
Seltzer.

Answer 97: Tom Dispatch occasionally

Answer 98: Joshua M. Marshall, Baghda Burning, Arianna Huffington

Answer 99: Baghdad Burning
CitizenSpook

Answer 100: see # 4 above.

Answer 101: This list would get very long .. my Blogroll currently cosists of 71 
feeds; most of them are technical (I'm a computer scientist) and a 
lot not dominated by single individuals.
My politics folder.
BAGnewsNotes,Informed Comment ,The Washington Note,African Bullets & 
Honey ,tHiNkEr's rOoM,The Counterterrorism Blog ,whatever 
already!,Back to Iraq 3.0
And the news folder:
NYT > International,DIE ZEIT,The Agonist ,Economist.com Global Agenda 
,Washington -- KR Washington Bureau ,Salon.com,Guardian Unlimited , 
Der Spiegel, News.bbc.co.uk

Answer 102: Greg Costikyan's is the only other blog I read regularly 
(www.costik.com). I suspect other readers are just as ecclectic.

Answer 103: Various but none daily as I do with IC.

Answer 104: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 105: Kos, Atrios, Pitt.

Answer 106: Hellen Cobban, Institute of War and Peace,   Today in Iraq

Answer 107: I glance at Kos, AmericaBlog, and TPM, but they mainly deal with 
domestic issues.

Answer 108: see above

Answer 109: AmericaBlog, KOS, TPM, Sirota, Atrios, Billmon, Riverbend, Tom Burka 
(fake news items "Opinions You Should Have"), my boss Bill Finzer's 
"Data Are Everywhere" blog, William A. Dorman (prof of war/peace and 
media studies as Sacramento State, and a friend of mine).

Answer 110: Daily: Prof Cole, Josh Marshall, America Blog, Think Progress. 
Sometimes: Daily Kos, Eschaton, The Raw Story, Andrew Sullivan 
Hullabaloo

Answer 111: Brad de Long, Little Professor, Billmon, Atrios, Josh Marshall, Digby, Wolcott.

Answer 112: Bitch PhD, Twist Faster (I Blame the Patriarchy), Tom Dispatch, Big 
fat Blog, Phantom Professor, and several blogs of personal friends.

Answer 113: I'll take it you want blog names rather the people who write them. 
The Road to Surfdom, Troppo Armadillo, TPM, Huffpo, Southerly Buster.

Answer 114: Andrew Sullivan, Kevin Drum, the folks at Powerlineblog, Glenn Reynolds

Answer 115: The list would be a bit too long.  Arthur Silber is one of the best 
writers on the internet today.  His blog is at 
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com
I also read Steve Gilliard's news blog almost every day.

Answer 116: the Huffington Post  and Talking Points memo

Answer 117: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 118: Only Juan Cole.

Answer 119: Just this one...

Answer 120: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 121: Fafnir!  The best four-cow blog in the blogosphere!!  Alex of 
war-on-errorism.  Brad de Long so I can see what regular commenter 
'anne' has to say -- the one exception to my misgivings about 
comments sections.  Atrios of eschaton.  Avedon Carole of Sideshow. 
James Wolcott of the eponymous blog because he's just such fun to 
read.  Laura Rozen of war and piece.  Revere of effectmeasure. 
Lindsay Beyerstein of majikthise.  Professor Goose of the oildrum. 
Dave Niewert of Orcinus.  Billmon of the whiskey bar.

Answer 122: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 123: Billmon
Tomdispatch

Answer 124: Brian Leiter, PZ Myer, Sean Carroll.

Answer 125: Steve Clemmons, Josh Marshall, Laura Rozen, William Arkin, the Brad blog....

Answer 126: Baghdad Burning, Atrios, Billmon, Kevin Drumm, Altercation (Eric 
Alterman), Daily Kos, Back To Iraq 3.0 (Chris Albritton), Larry 
Johnson, Patrick Lang, Brad DeLong

Answer 127: I don't read many blogs. I don't have time. Cole is the only 
must-read. I pop in on many but find they are only opinion forums for 
the misinformed or the US government. I do enjoy reading George Ure 
of urbansurvival.com weekly.  And Baghdad Burning is the only one I 
remember of the Iraqi blogs that I've bookmarked to read.

Answer 128: Drudge.

Answer 129: TomDispatch, Tom Engelhardt
PressThink, Jay Rosen

Answer 130: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.margaretcho.net/blog/blog.htm
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

Answer 131: Kevin Drum
Eric Alterman
RealClimate.org
Chris C. Mooney

Answer 132: atrios.blogspot.com, dailykos.com, digbysblog.blogspot.com, 
antiwar.com, jameswolcott.com, buzzflash.com, huffingtonpost.com, 
lewrockwell.com, rawstory.com, liberaloasis.com, 
altercation.msnbc.com. , harry shearer.

Answer 133: Gregg Easterbrook, when he was writing; the New Republic blog, when 
it is active; sometimes Micky Klaus; Arianna Huffington as often as I 
can; WaiterRant (for fun); Orcinus, sometimes; TomDispatch; sometimes 
Respecful Insolence (aka Orac Knows)

Answer 134: Not enough time to list them.

Answer 135: Jonah Micah Marshall, Eric Alterman daily, occasional others

Answer 136: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 137: see#4

Answer 138: Kostas Malitsos & others (Dailykos)
Riverbend (Baghdad Burning)
Raed Jarrar (Raed in the Middle)
Christopher Allbritton (Back-to-Iraq)
Arriana Huffington & others (the Huffington Post)
John Amato (Crooks and Liars)

Answer 139: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 140: no others. Blogs strike me as primarily personal opinion, from folks 
whose opinions are no better than mine. Life is short.

Answer 141: David Corn, Arianna Huffington.

Answer 142: Larry Franklin, bagnewsnotes, riverbend, billmon,

Answer 143: Josh Marshall, Daily Howler, Eric Alterman.

Answer 144: Billmon.  Dailykos, Atrios, David Neiwert.

Answer 145: None regularly. Andrew Sullivan, if he counts. TomsDispatch.

Answer 146: John Aravosis -- Americablog
Arthur Silber -- Once Upon a Time
James Wolcott
David Neiwert - Orcinus
Duncan Black - Atrios
Mike Ruppert - From the Wilderness
Wayne Madsen - Waynemadsenreport.com

Answer 147: Josh Marshall.

Answer 148: No other.  I check Baghdad Burning routinely, in the hope that she 
has been able to write, and I have looked at other links she has 
cited.

Answer 149: Josh Marshall, Atrios, Laura Rozen, Mark A.R. Kleiman, Jeralyn Merrit 
(TalkLeft),
Steve Clemons, Wayne Madsen, Andrew Schamess, Arianna Huffington, Digby,
Jack Balkin, Michael Froomkin, Brad DeLong

Answer 150: J-Bradford DeLong, Digby, Steve Gilliard, Kevin Drum, Josh Marshall, 
Atrios, Kos, Steve Gilliard,
Tom Tomorrow, Fafblog, PZ Myers.

Answer 151: Weekly or more frequently I read Juan Cole.  I 
also read Mike Brotherton's blog on astronomy and 
science fiction.  I look at a couple other blogs 
about once or twice a month: The Taipei Kid, 
General Jesus, and Bag News Notes. Aside from 
Juan's blog, I mainly use blogs for recreational 
reading or amusement.

Answer 152: See question 4 above.

Answer 153: Joel Spolsky, Andrew Tobias, Josh Marshall, Brad DeLong, Tim Bray, 
Maxspeak, Bruce Schneier, Scott Rosenberg

Answer 154: Not sure I totally understand what, if any, differences there are 
between blogs and other online commentaries.  So ignoring any such 
distinctions, I'll simply list other personal pieces that I often 
read.  In more or less decreasing order of frequency:  Josh Marshall, 
Juan Cole, Justin Raimondo (and others at antiwar.com), Adrianna 
Huffington (and others at huffingtonpost.com).  Lately, Jane Hamsher 
(at both huffpost and firedoglake.blogspot.com).  Don't know the 
individuals, but also frequently visit dailykos.com, 
digbysblog.blogspot.com, rawstory.com.  David Corn.  I love reading 
these and other sites -- sort of my political equivalent to online 
porno.

Answer 155: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 156: no othersz

Answer 157: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 158: only IC

Answer 159: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 160: Dailykos.com
dahrjamailiraq.com

Answer 161: Billmon (www.billmon.org) and Brad Delong (delong.typepad.net) are 
the only individual blogs I read on a daily basis.  In my experience, 
blogs which provide real expert insight or clear analysis of issues 
on a regular basis, rather than posting primarily opinion, are quite 
rare.

Answer 162: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 163: William Gibson
Kausfiles
David Corn

Answer 164: listed above.

Answer 165: Andrew Sullivan -- a man now in perpetual torment. His comment "Libby 
and Libi" still called the invasion "a noble cause" -- when will he 
crack?
Daily Kos, BullMoose, AmericaBlog, Huffington, Steve Giiliard

Answer 166: I read Tom Englehardt's blog only once a week or once every two 
weeks, but I really like his big sweeping takes on things and the 
cogent, cathartic points he comes to.  I also read firedoglake, 
Ariana's posts, Kevin Benderman's weekly posts from military prison 
(he's a political prisoner conscientious objector), James Wolcott, 
Daily Howler, and a sampling of many others including Rudy Texeira, 
Greg Palast and Atrios.

Answer 167: as in #5

Answer 168: David Wheat (Science In Action),  Carl Zimmer (The Loom), 
W.R.Ellsberry (The Panda's Thumb)

Answer 169: Brad Delong, Daniel Drezner, Brian Leiter, Crooked Timber, War and 
Piece, Andrew Sullivan, Marginal Revolution, Main and Central, Mark 
Kleiman, Becker & Posner, Matthew Yglesias, The Decembrist, The 
Washington Monthly and the University of Chicaco Law School Faculty 
Blog

Answer 170: Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Billmon, Think 
Progress, Steve Clemons' The Washington Note, Digby's Hullaballoo, 
firedoglake (especially for the CIA leak)...those are the main ones 
at the moment.  I find that the blogs I read vary somewhat depending 
on the big issue of the day.  I've been reading all of these for a 
while now, except firedoglake.

Answer 171: Josh Marshall, Brian Williams, Tom Engelhart, Halperin, Arianna (of 
course! I'd elect her to just about anything in a heartbeat: a very 
interseting and useful woman), Naomi Klein, Fisk, and otheres. SINCE 
THE TIMES STARTED TO DEMAND MOMENY, I SELDOM READ THEM ANYMORE, 
MOSTLY BECAUSE I AM BOYCOTTING THE TIMES (but I still read it , along 
with the Washpost, which is my home page).

Answer 172: Riverbend

Answer 173: Atrios, Altercation

Answer 174: Informed Comment is the only blog I read regularly.

Answer 175: This is the only one I follow closely.  I think it is my best source 
of Middle East reporting.

Answer 176: n/a

Answer 177: Mark Lynch's Abu Aardvark

Answer 178: Recently started reading Steve Clemons and Talking Points Memo. Read 
blogs such as Raed and Riverbend although they seem to have petered 
out.

Answer 179: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 180: Just Informed Comment

Answer 181: wonkette, just world news, daily kos, tomdispatch

Answer 182: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 183: George Monbiot
Greg Palast
Alternet "stable" e.g. Lakshmi Chaudhry
BradBlog (Brad Friedman)
And--though not a blog, but most important to me--BlackBoxVoting.org

Answer 184: Daily KOS, Atrios, Americablog, Rude Pundit, Alterman

Answer 185: I read Josh Landis' Syria blog (who I discovered via Juan Cole).

Answer 186: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 187: Josh Micah Marshall - Talking Points Memo

Answer 188: Justine Raimondo, Tom Bevan

Answer 189: www.tomdispatch.com

Answer 190: I read Raw Story, an alternative news site by John Byrne and a few 
others, Media Matters, John Gruber's Daring Fireball about tech 
things, and sporadically, a few sports-related things.

Answer 191: OK - here's the list I threatened you with earlier - I peruse them 
all several times a day. I should probably edit it as some of them 
are kind of dead like the electoral vote one.
http://www.juancole.com/
http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/
http://warincontext.org/
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/
http://www.nationinstitute.org/tomdispatch/
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.sunsara.blogspot.com/
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.talkleft.com/
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870/
http://www.bushlies.com/
http://yglesias.typepad.com/matthew/
http://www.counterpunch.org/
http://www.prospect.org/weblog/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php
http://www.tompaine.com/
http://mediamatters.org/
http://campaigndesk.org/
http://www.mydd.com/
http://www.pollingreport.com/
http://www.newdonkey.com/
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=156238
http://politicalwire.com/
http://kurtnimmo.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/
http://www.dailykos.com/
http://atrios.blogspot.com/
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
http://justworldnews.org/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/home.html
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Answer 192: None

Answer 193: Josh Marshall, Cursor.org.  Daily Koz, Eschaton, Brad DeLong, Steve 
Clemons, The Washington Monthly, wood s lot, Talk Left The Politics 
of Crime, Press Think, Michael Berube Online. Balkinization

Answer 194: Daily Kos, Andrew Sullivan, Arianna Huffington

Answer 195: "Political" blogs: Talking Points Memo (J.M. Marshall) and Pfaall (F. Grassi)
"Personal" blogs: Giusec (travel, Milan life), Cat's Dynamics (by S. 
Sigurdsson: astronomy, Iceland, personal), Powers of Four (by M. 
Turk: astronomy, computing,  personal)
Other: ViaggioAdagio (travels)

Answer 196: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 197: Riverbend, Helena Cobban, slashdot, Rick Moen...

Answer 198: David Corn, Moxiegrrrl (the latter for outrageous and wonderful gall.).

Answer 199: Kos, Atrios, Bob Harris, Josh Marshall, ThisModernWorld, Huffington. 
IC is by far though, the very best read; I condsider it essential and 
send the link to friends often.

Answer 200: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 201: Josh Marshall, Steve Clemons,

Answer 202: none regularly

Answer 203: www.talkingpointsmemo.com (Josh Marshall)
http://atrios.blogspot.com/ (don't know the guy's name)
http://americablog.blogspot.com/ (John Avarosis and company)
http://www.thismodernworld.com/ ("Tom Tommorrow")

Answer 204: dKos @ http://www.dailykos.com/
Atrios @ http://atrios.blogspot.com/
Pat Lang@ http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/
Larry Johnson @ http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/
Kevin Drum @ http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/
Doug Ireland @ http://direland.typepad.com/direland/
Steve Clemmons @ http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/

Answer 205: Juan Cole, The Znet..

Answer 206: Juan Cole

Answer 207: Tom Tomorrow.
Salon.

Answer 208: Josh Marshall (Talking Points Memo), Billmon (Whiskey Bar), Duncan 
Black (Atrios), Kos (Daily Kos), and Steve Giliard

Answer 209: At this point the only oher blog I currently read regularly is "Back 
to Iraq" at www.back-to-iraq.com.  I do hope to soon discover other 
blogs to add to my list.  I have already quite subscribing to all 
newspapers including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, 
and I am down to one magazine, Newsweek.  I have already given up on 
the traditional press in this country.  I prefer BBC, Aljazeera and 
other foreign sources.
I hope some way can be found to move Ted Koppel, Bob Scheiffer, and 
other credible journalists to a blog medium.  I would be willing to 
pay real money for the privilege of reading their research based and 
investigative efforts.  With PBS and NPR now being turned into 
propaganda outlets, there is a growing urgency for honest, 
intelligent, comprehensive reporting of news, comment, and opinion to 
emerge on the web.  If others feel as I do, then great opportunity is 
emerging.  And I suspect readers will be willing to contribute 
serious money to those who bring to us the Truth.

Answer 210: Informed Comment is main blog but I also look at James Kunstler's 
blog and Frederick Clarkson's.

Answer 211: dailykos, agonist, essentialemmes, instapundit, some random others.

Answer 212: none other than IC

Answer 213: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 214: Josh Marshall: www.talkingpointsmemo.com
Steve Clemons: www.thewashingtonnote.com
Kevin Drum: www.washingtonmonthly.com

Answer 215: no thanks

Answer 216: slashdot

Answer 217: slashdot

Answer 218: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 219: andrew sullivan - Atrios - kos - angry bear

Answer 220: dailykos
defence tech
today in iraq
gizmodo

Answer 221: Daily Kos, Steve Clemmons (The Washington Note), Talking Points Memo

Answer 222: Kos, Huffingtomn, Raw Stry, Washington Monthly, Talking Points

Answer 223: Dave Niewert, tbogg, James Wolcott, James Howard Kunstler, Eric 
Alterman, Body and Soul, riverbend, Sisyphus Shrugged.
I generally go through 30 or 40 blogs a day.

Answer 224: AMERICAblog
atrios
Billmon
Steve Clemons
The Coffee House (TPM Cafe)
Daily Kos
firedoglake
Steve Gilliard
The Huffington Post | The Blog
Hullabaloo
Mark Kleiman
My Left Wing :: A Liberal Translation
MyDD
The Next Hurrah
Right Side Redux
Suburban Guerrilla
Andrew Sullivan
Talking Points Memo
TAPPED
WaMo Political Animal
James Wolcott
Golden State
LeftCoastBreakdown
Curbed LA
THE BRAD BLOG

Answer 225: OK - here's the list I threatened you with earlier - I peruse them 
all several times a day. I should probably edit it as some of them 
are kind of dead like the electoral vote one.
http://www.juancole.com/
http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/
http://warincontext.org/
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/
http://www.nationinstitute.org/tomdispatch/
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.sunsara.blogspot.com/
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.talkleft.com/
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3449870/
http://www.bushlies.com/
http://yglesias.typepad.com/matthew/
http://www.counterpunch.org/
http://www.prospect.org/weblog/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php
http://www.tompaine.com/
http://mediamatters.org/
http://campaigndesk.org/
http://www.mydd.com/
http://www.pollingreport.com/
http://www.newdonkey.com/
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=156238
http://politicalwire.com/
http://kurtnimmo.com/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/
http://www.dailykos.com/
http://atrios.blogspot.com/
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
http://justworldnews.org/
http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/home.html
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Answer 226: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 227: As above.

Answer 228: Racheal Madow,  The Huffington Post, C-Span Iraq blogs, Freerepublic

Answer 229: "Riverbend," Steve Gilliard, Jesus' General, David Neiwert, John 
Gorenfeld, Reverend Mykeru, Josh Marshall and others.

Answer 230: The following comments were submitted from "Questions for Readers of 
Juan Cole's "Informed Comment"" form:

Answer 231: Informed Comment is the only blog that I make sure to read on a daily basis.

Answer 232: Josh Marshall, Digby, Billmon, Kos, Steve Guilliard, John Aravosis 
First Draft, Atrios, Robert Jeffers