I'm going to ignore the meaningless headline in this NY Times story and replace it with the first few words which do more justice to the body of the story.

Joyful tears and frequent applause

UPDATE: I wish I would have linked to the original headline which was something like "Low Expectations for Vote". The new headline for the link above is now "Iraqi Expats Dance for Joy After Voting". Damn, I wish I would have kept it.

One poll worker could be seen weeping....

``We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting,''...

Adl Almusasarah, 30, traveled from Denver to Nashville, arriving at the polling site an hour early so he could be first in line...

Ayad Barzani, 42 flew into Nashville from Dallas on Thursday night, casting his ballot early so he could get back to the restaurant he owns before the busiest night of the week. ``This is one of the happiest days of my life,'' said Barzani...

``I am happier than on my wedding day,'' said Saja Verdi, 26, an unemployed mother of two....

``Today I feel that I am born again,'' said Darbaz Rasool, 23, a Kurd who fled Iraq in 1994...

As the Iraqi voting begins and Condaleeza Rice is sworn in as the first African-American woman to be Secreatry of State, I want to say thank you to President Bush for making me feel proud to be an American today.

UPDATE: Here's another story from my local paper about large groups of people driving from Dallas to Nashville just to vote. Since Democrats think having to wait in line for a few hours is tantamount to voter fraud, no wonder they won't see the Iraqi elections as legitimate.
'We have waited our whole lives'

Officials estimate that hundreds of Dallas-area Iraqis will be making the 700-mile journey this weekend to cast their ballots in Nashville, one of five cities selected to host the Iraqi national assembly vote in the United States.

Those who can't make the cross-country trek said they will be at home, glued to their television sets as they watch the election unfold and contemplate the future of their homeland from afar.

Mr. Sindy will leave tonight after work with 48 of his friends from Arlington's Kurdish community. They will pile into seven minivans – each carrying seven people – to drive for 12 hours.