2005.01.30 : "Imposing American-Style Democracy at the Barrel of a Gun" (and Oh Yeah, it's All About Oil Anyway)
"We wanted to be the first to vote here. This is our country. We have to do it. There should be no excuse for anyone not to come. These elections will decide the destiny of the country." - Amir Mahmoud Jawad, 18, high school student
"She drew an Iraqi flag yesterday and she told me that she is going to put it in the box with my ballot. She did that by herself." - Nada Harbi, on her five-year old daughter
"My sisters, did you have the same feeling I had? Every one at the poll center was happy . . . . We proved to the world and to the insurgents that no one is supporting them. We win and they lost. They did not think that all of us will gather together for the best of our country. They did not scare any one of us." - Um Rami, 56, Christian
"You cannot imagine how proud I was there when I saw that big Iraqi flag over the ballot box. My eyes were full with tears when I was looking at the flag, while I was putting the ballot in the box, when one of my teardrops went inside with that ballot through the opening of that box." - Saad Dulaimi, 38, school teacher, Sunni
"This is the first step in the right road of democracy to achieve justice and equality. - Harbi Timimi, 64, who voted with his daughter and granddaughter
"Enough fear. Let us breathe the air of freedom." - Najia Abbas, 46, when asked whether she was afraid of terrorist threats.
"The most important thing is that fear has no place in our hearts anymore. We became free. This is the first time in my life I go to a polling center freely." - Samir Sabih, 37, businessman
"I am so happy that I lived to see this day. The Iraqis proved to the world that nothing can scare them. . . . I wish that from now on we will live just like any other democratic country." - Suha Ali, 24, female, graduate student
"We win." - Ali Abas Khalid, choked with tears, upon casting his ballot
