Another triumph for Iraqi democracy

The nation of Iraq voted this weekend on a constitutional referendum.

Stop and read that sentence again.

Voted.  In a real election, free from official government-sanctioned goons positioned in polling places, taking down names of anyone suspected of voting "no."

This is the second time such an election has taken place this year.  For that we should all be thankful.

To those who insist that Iraq is "the next Vietnam," I simply ask, when did the Vietnamese ever peacefully vote, as a unified nation, in a constitutional referendum?

Those of us who follow alternative news, milblogs, and bother to read the official military news services (and you can find them linked in my righthand sidebar) know what our mission in Iraq is, and we also know the progress that is being made every day.  Those who only watch network news or read big newspapers are the ones who don't know.

Overall the story from Iraq is positive -- high Sunni Muslim turnout, few incidents of violence, and a feeling of assurance that the voting was fair and accurate (even without Jimmy Carter's help).

It is the mainstream media's job to report the various negative incidents that occurred during the election day.  It is also their job to round up the complete story and to balance the reporting of thorns with reporting about roses as well.  But like most stories coming out of Iraq, that doesn't seem to be what happened.

Those who quibble about the "tensions" surrounding the drafting of the Iraqi constitution should take a few minutes and crack open an American History textbook.  There you will find a real and genuinely compelling story about the trials, debates, uncertainties, and eventual compromises necessary for the drafting of our own Constitution.  Before reporting the uncertainty among Iraqis, perhape the mainstream media should remind us about our Founding Fathers' own uncertainty.  And they could remind us how their efforts turned out.

Rev. Donald Sensing has some good thoughts about the constitutional referendum.

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