Michael Hastings, writing in Newsweek, has this:
Oct. 15, 2005 - Cruising through the Al Wahdi neighborhood in eastern Mosul, Iraq, Lt. Colonel John Norris ducks down from his command hatch in the heavily armored Stryker vehicle. "Look at all the people on the streets, in the lines at the polls," he tells his fellow American soldiers. "That's a good thing to see." For the 4-23 Battalion, aka the Tomahawks, Oct. 15 was starting to look like one of the most peaceful days of the war. Sunny weather, about 85 degrees, and not too humid. "It's a great day to be a Tomahawk," grins the 42-year-old Kentucky native.
Here is a shot of Lt. Colonel Norris handing out soccer balls to Iraqi children, on the eve of Saturday's vote.
We here at SDPolitics are on the side of hope in this affair. Its a little difficult to tell what our esteemed colleagues on the other side of the regional blogosphere think, since they seem to have no interest in the event whatsoever. On the other hand, a genuine debate is going on at the flagship liberal blog, the Daily KOS.
The proposed Iraqi constitution has flaws, to be sure. And whether it is ratified or not, the violence will not suddenly and permanently end. But upwards to eleven million people voted. The largest Sunni political party endorsed the constitution. The Sunni population is now part of the political process. That is more political progress than this region has ever seen before. Surely it is reason for some optimism.
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