Saddam Loses in Landslide

No need to wait for exit polls. The results of Iraq's election are in:

Saddam lost.

The Iraqi people won.

From the Washington Post:

It was a day of great hope for hundreds of Iraqis -- some of whom traveled hundreds of miles -- as they cast ballots at the Best Western Tysons Westpark, the only polling place in the Northeast.

Voting will continue through tomorrow locally and at seven other polling places nationwide. Organizers predict that tens of thousands of the 240,000 eligible Iraqi voters in the United States will help select members of Iraq's new government this week.

...Heymin Abdul, 27, was among thousands of Kurds who moved to the United States in 1997.

Hussein's forces "have been killing us" in Iraq, said Abdul, who settled in Harrisonburg, Va. "Torturing us. They did anything to try to destroy the Kurdish. We thank God for the U.S.A. that we're successful now . . . to rebuild our country and stay in peace."

Karim Hama, 31, also traveled from his home in Harrisonburg to take part in the election, hoping to have a hand in helping Iraq build a democracy.

"We've come here to make sure what happened in [Iraq's] past never happens again," Hama said through a translator.

Ayad Alsaidi, 39, of Fairfax was sporting four small Iraqi flags attached to his head with an Ace bandage.

"It comes from my heart," said Alsaidi, who wore a sign around his neck that read "freedom yes." "I'd like to thank the U.S.A. for giving freedom to my country. That's why I'm here today. . . . I want Iraq to be a wonderful place. No more problems."

Several women arrived at the polls dressed in sequined gowns that they said are traditional Kurdish clothes worn during times of celebration.

Kawsrat Mahmoud, 21, wore a long, blue, spangled dress with a matching head scarf. It's the same dress she wore to the polls in January when Iraqi immigrants were offered their first chance to vote in generations.

"I feel like I'm being born again," said Mahmoud, who immigrated to Fairfax from the Kurdistan region in 2001.

These Iraqi voters in the U.S. proudly participated in the elections of a free Iraq. They should be proud. It is a historic election.

Today in Iraq, the polls are open. Brave Iraqis are ignoring threats of violence and voting. In some cases at great personal risk, they are engaging in a process that all too many Americans take for granted--casting votes to determine the makeup of their government.

This is a glorious day for the Iraqi people and all free people of the world. It's a victory over tyranny and terrorism.
Al Jazeera writes:

Al-Qaida in Iraq and other Islamist groups have vowed to disrupt the vote but their statements have been more muted in tone than in January, and the run-up to the election has, by Iraq's standards, been calm.

Despite voters having to walk to vote because of security restrictions, turnout is expected to be high - perhaps 70% to 80% compared with 59% in January and 64% in October's referendum on a new constitution.

...At the Arab Banner primary school in the predominantly Shia downtown district of Karradah, Saleh Hadi, a 71-year-old car mechanic who is married with eight children said that "this is what Iraqis want. Democracy, God willing, glory and peace".

Thanks to the vision of President Bush and the leaders of our coalition partners, and thanks to the resolve and bravery of our troops, Iraq is no longer held hostage by Saddam Hussein.

As President Bush said yesterday, "[W]e're helping the Iraqi people build a lasting democracy that is peaceful and prosperous and an example for the broader Middle East."

American troops, coalition troops, and Iraqi troops deserve our gratitude and praise for taking the dream of democracy and helping to make it a reality for the Iraqis. Through their sacrifice, they have made our world safer.
Did Saddam get an absentee ballot?

He probably would boycott the election anyway, unless he could cast a vote for himself as a write-in candidate.

No more landslide victories for Saddam.