Iraqis Vote in freest Arabic elections ever

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Millions of Iraqis Vote in Relative Peace: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Millions of Iraqis, from tribal sheiks to entire families with children in tow, turned out Thursday to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election - among the freest ever in the Arab world.

So many Sunni Arabs voted that ballots ran out in some places. The strong participation by Sunnis, the backbone of the insurgency, bolstered U.S. hopes that the election could produce a broad-based government capable of ending the daily suicide attacks and other violence that have ravaged the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Up to 11 million of the nation's 15 million registered voters took part, election officials estimated, though they had no official turnout figure."

That is a HUGE number of people. Later in the article, they show some nice quotes from bitter people, who were privliged under Sadam's reigiem, but are now leveled with the rest of the nation. The AP knows how to follow bunny trails in their articles.