Three Years Ago Today: "Saddam Wins 100% of the Vote"

October 16, 2002: “Iraqi officials say President Saddam Hussein has won 100% backing in a referendum on whether he should rule for another seven years. There were 11,445,638 eligible voters-and every one of them voted for the president, according to Izzat Ibrahim, Vice-Chairman of Iraq’s Revolutionary Command Council.” (Link)

October 16, 2005: “I voted then, for Saddam, of course, because I was afraid… But this time, I came here by my own choice. I am not afraid anymore. I am a free man…. It gives me hope in God, and in my fellow men.” (Link)

Lots of wonderful news coming out of Iraq. Best summary of links from MSM is from Google News here. Nice graphic of the unofficial results from the Washington Post is here. An American Marine was live blogging the Iraqi vote here. Iraqi bloggers discuss their personal experience and have photos here, here, and here. Read the comments.

The full text of the Iraqi Constitution is here. The best part of the Preamble reads, “We the people of Iraq, … who are looking with confidence to the future through a republican, federal, democratic, pluralistic system, have resolved … to respect the rule of law, to establish justice and equality to cast aside the politics of aggression, … and to spread a culture of diversity and defusing terrorism.”