BAGHDAD — Never thought I'd say this, but I'm grateful to be in Baghdad. It's not just the sun or the hospitality or the good food. I am one of the fortunate few reporters who have managed to get a visa for Iraq and as a result have the privilege of reporting on the goings on.

It was all made possible by some kind Iraqis at the embassy in Moscow, who fed me dates and told me about Samarra and Mosul and Basra, then put a stamp in my passport, even though I was an American.

American's aren't always so welcome here, a point that was made clear to me when I arrived at Saddam International Airport.

"Down With U.S." is painted all over the floor. There's also a mosaic of George Bush Sr. in the floor of the Al Rasheed Hotel saying "Bush is Criminal."

It's not that my Arabic is so fluent, but the message is in English as well, so that the tourists staying there will be able to appreciate its full meaning.

Being an old hand in Baghdad now -- after a total of nine days -- I can say that it is somewhat like a vacuum, but one with lots of holes in it.

There is very little information to be gleaned from official sources. Almost no one's talking.

As well, I have an official minder with me whenever I shoot anything in the city or talk to anyone on the street.

For a television reporter, it's incredibly restrictive. You can't shoot any of the cool stuff. That means government buildings and Saddam Hussein's palaces are off limits (even for an exterior shot). No oil pumps, no prisoners, and no members of the opposition.

You are, however, encouraged to shoot Iraqi suffering as a result of UN sanctions. Hospitals, poverty and funerals of those allegedly killed by U.S.-British airstrikes are all okay.

And you can shoot as many Saddam Hussein statues and billboards as you like.

Portraits of Iraq's leader grace every street corner, restaurant, and office. Hussein is often smiling – in a suit, an army uniform or traditional Muslim dress. He can be a statue or a painting or a mosaic. Sometimes he points a gun in the air, but mostly he just gazes benevolently down at the people.

And those people are most kind and hospitable. They smile and make jokes with you. I don't make a secret of the fact that I am an American, but have yet to hear anything mean directed toward me in response.

They seem like a frustrated people, but claim it's the U.S. to blame for their current troubles, and the United Nations' sanctions that have strangled their economy. For certain, it is the Iraqi people who have suffered, not their government.

People you speak to on the street say the same things over and over again. America and the Jews are out to make war, we have no weapons of mass destruction, Iraqis want peace.

More importantly, they say Iraqis like their leadership and don't need anyone's help to change it.

They appear to have no inkling whatsoever of all of the heinous acts committed by Iraq's leader, resulting in the deaths of a million or more of his own people.

I have asked in confidence how they know what they are supposed to say to me if I'm picking them at random.

"They all know. They are afraid," was the answer.

Strange, though, the truth always has a way of getting out, even in Iraq.

Often times, the Iraqis will ask me what is really going on. They want to know. And, in subtle ways, some try to point me toward a better understanding of things inside the country, even if it is not the official line.

For this I am most grateful.

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