Iraqi Election

It has been great to wake up to the news that the Iraqi elections have been significantly more sucessful than predicted. The turnout (estimates here) has been very credible. The terrorists had threatened to kill anyone who had ink on their finger, but instead of scaring Iraqis it seems to have made the inked finger a sign of pride. Very few actual attacks have occured.

Mohammed and Omar blog from Iraq the following:

From the early hours of the morning, People filled the street to the voting center in my neighborhood; youths, elders, women and men. Women’s turn out was higher by the way. And by 11 am the boxes where I live were almost full!

Anyone watching that scene cannot but have tears of happiness, hope, pride and triumph.

Power Line has some great photos.

Andew Sullivan, who has not been a Bush fan on Iraq, get cloest to what I feel, saying:

I don’t want to be excitable, but aren’t you feeling euphoric? It’s almost a classic tale of good defeating evil. We always needed the Iraqi people to seize freedom for themselves. Given the chance, they have. This is their victory, made possible by those amazing Western troops. This day eclipses – although, alas, it cannot undo – any errors we have made. Only freedom can defeat terror. Today, freedom won.