A New Day Dawns
There is a saying that suggests, people get the government they deserve. Perhaps it has been with that maxim in mind that I have not had a warm feeling for the Iraqi people, until today. There was a brief period in the Eighties, when the Iraqi were fighting our Iranian foes, when I had good thoughts about them, but since, especially since the Gulf War, I have viewed the entire population as extensions of Saddam Hussein. And being associated with Saddam's image is not a good thing. The invasion of Kuwait, holding Scott Spicher, violations of the "No-Fly" zones which were established to keep Saddam's military from harming the Iraqis in the north and south, the shots fired at our patrol planes, violations of sanctions, the continued threatening posture toward the USA, and on, and on....
But, today I watched video of exile Iraqis voting for their new government, their faces filled with pride and joy. And, I saw reports from in country that the curfew is being respected, and the people are anxious to vote in spite of the murderous acts of a few animals, and I found myself suddenly very aware that Iraqis are not the beasts I had envisioned. They are going to become a part of the civilized world, they are going to form a government which represents the wishes of the citizenry, for the first time in the lives of many Iraqis it will be their country.
