A Vote for Hope

Kids in the street.  Of all the improbable images from Iraq's historic election day, none captured the mood of the nation better than the sight of children flying out into the open. There have been times since the fall of Saddam Hussein when Iraq's cities have seemed childless, as parents have tried to shield their kids from kidnappers, gun battles and car bombs. And yet on Jan. 30, widely predicted to be the most dangerous day since the end of the war--so dangerous that the government banned vehicular traffic--the streets seemed to be overrun by children: playing soccer in the shadow of U.S. Abrams tanks, chasing other kids in impromptu games of catch, accompanying their parents to polling booths, decked out in their newest clothes. "It's a big day, and I wanted my girls to experience it," said Amina Hussein, a Baghdad housewife, as she and her husband tried to subdue three giggling preteen daughters at a voting booth in the downtown Karrada district. "When they are older, God willing, they will vote in many elections. But this is the one they will never forget."

Given the chaos of Iraq's recent past and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, it was understandable that so many wanted to make this one hopeful moment last. Days after the vote, Iraqis were still waving index fingers stained with the dark ink that proved they had taken part. In solidarity, members of the U.S. Congress showed up at the State of the Union address with their own digits dyed purple. On election day President Bush woke at 5 a.m. to watch news reports of how the vote was going. After his advisers told him that early indications showed higher-than-expected turnout, Bush stayed glued to the results. "For millions of Iraqis, it was an act of personal courage," he said, "and they have earned the respect of us all." Even the insurgents appeared taken aback by the outburst of people power: there were no major attacks anywhere in Iraq in the two days after the election.

It couldn't last, of course. Extremist groups resumed their campaign of attacks, mainly against Iraqi security forces, killing 12 in an ambush in Kirkuk. Even so, the vote jump-started a first chapter in democracy: before the ballots were even counted, politicians in Baghdad were already engaging in the ancient art of dealmaking. Early trends suggest that the so-called Sistani List--a slate of religious Shi'ites and secular parties that has the backing of Grand Ayatullah Ali Husaini Sistani--has won a majority in the 275-member Transitional National Assembly. Vying for second place are a unified Kurdish list and the secular list of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, Washington's preferred candidate.