Election Day

It's 7:20 AM ET, with polling in Iraq scheduled for about another two hours. Estimates indicate that 72% of the electorate turned out to vote. Turnout was heavy even in the so-called "triangle of death", where Sunnis and Shiites reside. There are about 5,200 polling stations. Of these, about nine were attacked on Sunday with no catastrophic losses. In other words, about one-fifth of one percent.



By any measure, the vote is proceeding swimmingly. So, all that being said, let's see how the MSM is covering the vote:



ABC News:



Iraqis Defy Attacks to Cast Historic Votes

Iraqis danced and clapped with joy Sunday as they voted in their country's first free election in a half-century, defying insurgents who launched eight deadly suicide bombings and mortar strikes

• Iraq Election too Dangerous for Monitors



CBS News:



Bombs On Iraq's Election Day

Ninety minutes after voting began in Iraq, violence including bombs claimed at least 31 lives, as rebels made good on their threats to disrupt the nation's first free elections in 50 years. "Steady" voter turnout is reported in many areas.

• Interactive:Iraq Votes



CNN:



Bombers target Iraqi voters, polling stations

A string of attacks, some targeting lines of voters waiting to cast ballots in Iraq's first free elections in half a century, killed at least 16 people Sunday and injured scores more. Turnout was sporadic, yet in some parts of the country polling stations were packed with Iraqis waiting to vote, many of them for the first time in their lives

• Fear and defiance | Rocket Attack

• Iraqis brave bombs to vote



FoxNews:



A New Dawn of Democracy

Iraqis wait to enter polling station in Basra.

• Nine homicide bombings and mortar strikes kill at least 31

• Despite violence, eager Iraqis head to polls to vote in country's first free election in 50 years



MSNBC:



Voting amid violence

Turnout picks up for critical Iraq election, but insurgents launch deadly attacks.

• Newsweek: Why election won’t stop insurgency

• WP: No timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal



Hey, MSNBC: why not rig a truck to blow up, Dateline-style, in front of a polling station and then snap some photos of bloody ballots?



I suppose the age-old canard, "if it bleeds, it leads" will always apply to the MSM. But it would be nice if, a few days down the road, at least one of the bigs (besides Fox) had the intellectual honesty -- and courage -- to call a success a success.



The history books will eventually record whether a democratic Iraq succeeded or not. Whether a democratic Iraq dampened terror in the region. But let it never be said that President George W. Bush was not courageous and principled in sticking up for his beliefs that the Iraqi people needed to be freed and that despotism bred terror.



My belief is that history will look upon the President and this era kindly, Teddy Jo Kopechne and rest of the left bank, anti-American nay-sayers notwithstanding.



Update: Mohammed and Omar post the following inspiring, emotional entry on Iraq the Model...

I still recall the first group of comments that came to this blog 14 months ago when many of the readers asked "The Model?"… "Model for what?" Take a look today to meet the model of courage and human desire to achieve freedom; people walking across the fire to cast their votes. Could any model match this one!? Could any bravery match the Iraqis'!? Let the remaining tyrants of the world learn the lesson from this day. The media is reporting only explosions and suicide attacks that killed and injured many Iraqis s far but this hasn't stopped the Iraqis from marching towards their voting stations with more determination. Iraqis have truly raced the sun. I walked forward to my station, cast my vote and then headed to the box, where I wanted to stand as long as I could, then I moved to mark my finger with ink, I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants. I put the paper in the box and with it, there were tears that I couldn't hold; I was trembling with joy and I felt like I wanted to hug the box but the supervisor smiled at me and said "brother, would you please move ahead, the people are waiting for their turn". Yes brothers, proceed and fill the box!