Like most Americans I slept through one of the most monumental events in recent history.
QUOTE
Some came on crutches, others walked for miles then struggled to read the ballot, but across Iraq, millions turned out to vote Sunday, defying insurgents who threatened a bloodbath.
Suicide bombs and mortars killed at least 27 people, but voters still came out in force for the first multi-party poll in 50 years. In some places they cheered with joy at their first chance to cast a free vote, in others they shared chocolates.
Even in Falluja, the Sunni city west of Baghdad that was a militant stronghold until a U.S. assault in November, a steady stream of people turned out, confounding expectations.[...]
Even in the so-called "triangle of death," a hotbed of Sunni insurgency south of Baghdad, turnout was solid, officials said.
Iraqis Brave Bombs to Vote in Their Millions Seems all the Prophets of Doom were napping as well, even our normally pessimistic news reports seem pretty jovial.
QUOTE
Thirty-six civilians and three police officers died in mortar attacks and suicide bombings around the country, the Interior Minister reported. Twenty-two of the deaths occurred in Baghdad, Reuters reported, where mortar attacks took three lives and 19 people were killed by suicide bombers. At least 29 were wounded in the attacks in the capital, Reuters said.
But it the insurgents wanted to stop people in Baghdad from voting, they failed. If they wanted to cause chaos, they failed. The voters were completely defiant, and there was a feeling that the people of Baghdad, showing a new, positive attitude, had turned a corner.
Amid Attacks, a Party Atmosphere on Baghdad's Closed Streets So...
With stronger than expected turnout, what might these elections mean for the future of Iraq?
Does this suggest that Iraqis are, in fact, dedicated to the idea of a democratic state?
Did anyone stay up to watch the coverage? 
Sponsored Links
Jan 30 2005, 03:59 PM
