January 30, 2005

ANOTHER IRAQI VOTER proudly displays an ink-stained finger.

Sissy Willis observes: "You know what? This is the best thing ever for freedom and human happiness since the fall of the Berlin Wall."

It's certainly good news.

The ink-stained finger seems to becoming a potent image. Here's another photo by Iraqi blogger Alaasmary.

And here's one from Rose in Baghdad. (Both via The Corner).

UPDATE: The New York Times is even reporting a "party atmosphere" in Baghdad.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Chris Fountain notes that this paragraph keeps moving downward in the NYT story above, and he's right -- I've still got the old window open and it's dropped several paragraphs. So here it is, in case it disappears:

But if 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.

At least give 'em credit for leading with it initially.