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BAGHDAD, Iraq --- Democrats expressed dismay and outrage at the new Iraqi constitution that appears set for passage today. The document, that starts off with the phrase "In the name of God," does not guarantee a woman's right to choose or government-run healthcare. "Bush is screwing it up again," said Howard Dean. "He had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a constitution that's even better and clearer than our own, and he blew it. Blew it! This place could be a paradise where God is not allowed to be mentioned in any government documents or on any government property. Healthcare could...

Families and Friends of the Vanguard Brigade Yesterday was a great day for Iraq! Iraqis defied both insurgents and terrorists claims of impending violence and voted on the Constitution. Even though there were numerous threat warnings and predictions of violence, it was actually a very quiet day in our area of operations. Nothing impacted the Referendum. We would characterize the mood as the same as one of our National Holidays. The activity around the polling centers was steady, and we would say the citizens’ mood was one of quiet determination – determination to vote. The Iraqi Police, the Police Commandos,...

PARIS, 17 Oct. (IPS) The international community, including Iran, welcomed the referendum of the Iraqi Constitution submitted to popular vote on Saturday 15 October and hoped that the result, in case it is positive as expected, would open the way for a smooth and gradual withdrawal of foreign presence and to the end of bloody violence attributed to so-called islamist jihadis. Despite their fears that the Constitution would lead to the division, -- if not the end to the country’s territorial integrity -- along religion and community boundaries that cut them not only from oil resources concentrated in the north...

While the world will have to wait a few days for final confirmation that Iraqis accepted their proposed constitution, it's not too soon to see who the victors are - the Free Iraqis and those who placed a bet the idea that democracy could advance in the Middle East. The first success was in the turn-out. An estimated 10 million Iraqis – two-thirds of those eligible - voted, an increase from the more than 8 million who voted in January's historic elections. Iraqis once again cast their ballots despite threats from the terrorists who warned them to reject democracy. The...

Iraqis Probe 'Unusually High' Yes Tally By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago Iraq's election commission announced Monday that officials were investigating "unusually high" numbers of "yes" votes in about a dozen provinces during Iraq's landmark referendum on a new constitution, raising questions about irregularities in the balloting. Word of the review came as Sunni Arab leaders repeated accusations of fraud after initial reports from the provinces suggested the constitution had passed. Among the Sunni allegations are that police took ballot boxes from heavily "no" districts, and that some "yes" areas had more votes than registered voters. The...

Now that the Iraqi Constitution has been passed and there is a formal Iraqi gummit, the Iraq War is Over. To pretend that this is anything other than a clean-up operation is a farce. To still call this a War has as much credibility as calling Drunk Uncle Ted a poster boy for poverty or the protector of Women. What is left in Iraq are continued training of the Iraqi Army and killing the foreign mercenaries. This has been one of the great military achievements in the history of the planet. The free and legal vote of a formerly oppressed...

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has hailed the Iraqi people for "their incredible courage" in voting in large numbers on a constitutional referendum but cast doubt on whether this would lead to an easing of violence. "I think the Iraqi population showed incredible courage, going to vote in large numbers despite the security situation on the ground," the UN chief said. "We had hoped that the constitutional process would have been an exercise that would have been totally inclusive, and pull together all the Iraqis, helping with reconciliation. "Obviously, that did not happen and has not happened." He said that...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2005 – Since soldiers of 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, took over operations in the Khadamiyah district in western Baghdad Sept. 10, they've been conducting patrols every day, contributing to the security of Iraq. Oct. 15 was not much different from any other day except that these 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, soldiers had an opportunity to witness a historic event - Iraqis voting in a democratic constitutional referendum. "It was great to see the Iraqis get the chance to express their opinions," said Army Pfc. Francesco Borsellino, of B Troop, 1/71 Cav. "The Iraqi...

Iraqi Elections Were Peaceful And Protected By Iraqi Soldiers: In Iraq, Saturday "Turned Out To Be The Most Peaceful [Day] In Months ..." (Lee Keath, "Sunni Arabs Turn Out In Big Numbers For Iraqi Vote On Constitution" The Associated Press, 10/16/05) "[I]nsurgency Violence Was Minimal Compared With The Last Poll [In January]." (Farnaz Fassihi, Philip Shishkin and Greg Jaffe, "Sunnis' Turnout Points To Role In Iraqi Politics," The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/05) "Only One Of Baghdad's 1,200 Polling Stations Came Under Attack." (Farnaz Fassihi, Philip Shishkin and Greg Jaffe, "Sunnis' Turnout Points To Role In Iraqi Politics," The Wall Street...

A group of Iraqi men in Tall Afar, Iraq, talk to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher Gibson, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, about the country's constitutional referendum, Oct. 15, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. James Wilt Paratroopers Aid Election Security in Tall Afar The Iraqi election day went by without any instances of violencein the paratrooper-controlled sector of the city. By U.S. Army Pfc. James Wilt Task Force White Falcon, 82nd Airborne Division TALL AFAR, Iraq, Oct. 17, 2005 — U.S. Army paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment,...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. fighter jets and attack helicopters killed about 70 militants around the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, the military said on Monday after a landmark vote that appears to have ratified a new constitution. Election officials slowly counted up to 10 million ballots from Saturday's referendum, with partial results pointing to a clear win for a charter Washington hopes will help establish Iraq as a stable democracy able to do without U.S. troops. The violence in Ramadi, a rebellious city about 110 km (68 miles) west of Baghdad, highlighted the challenge posed by Sunni Arab insurgents bitterly...

Sunni Arab voters turned out in force for Iraq's constitutional referendum Saturday as insurgents largely suspended attacks... Voting en masse for the first time since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Sunni Arabs cast ballots in large numbers ... Turnout reached 93 percent in the heavily Sunni western city of Fallujah after clerics and others went door-to-door telling residents it was safe to venture out of their homes, ... "We came because we hope the future will be better," Ahmed said, reflexively waving her ink-stained finger in a now-worn symbol of hope from the last election. "We are hoping it will...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2005 – President Bush congratulated the Iraqi people Oct. 16 for the success of their constitutional referendum Oct. 15. "On behalf of the American people, I'd like to congratulate the people of Iraq for the successful completion of a vote on their draft constitution," Bush said. "By all indications, the turnout was greater than the turnout from the last-January election, which is good news. By all indications, the Sunnis participated in greater numbers in this election than last time. And that's good news." The president said he was pleased that the level of violence in this election...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2005 – Officials are counting the votes in Iraq's historic constitutional referendum and people are asking whether the people of Iraq have accepted or rejected their new constitution. But to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, the results of yesterday's referendum are less important than the fact that Iraq had a highly successful and relatively peaceful election in which the Sunnis participated in very large numbers. "Whatever happens with the referendum ... the Iraqi people clearly are taking advantage of the political process to make their views known, and that's bad...

Press sees hope after Iraq vote Newspapers in the Middle East are encouraged by the Iraqi constitution referendum, although they see a long road ahead until stability is achieved. In Iraq itself, where many papers have failed to publish over the past few days because of an election holiday, one daily is optimistic, while another links the vote to a call for the expulsion of a controversial Iranian rebel group. Ali Khlayf in Iraq's pro-Shiite Al-Adalah The fact that cannot be denied or concealed is that Iraqis have defeated their enemies: terrorists, dark forces and those who dream of...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Election workers announced "unusually high" vote counts in Iraq's landmark referendum on the draft constitution, saying Monday that they will audit results showing unexpected ratios of "yes" to "no" votes from some parts of the country.

Initial results from Iraq's constitutional referendum, as reported by election officials in each province. The figures are from the first tallies done by each province's counting centers, which must be sent to Baghdad for another check and compilation. The final official figures, likely to be announced no sooner than Wednesday, may differ. The names of each province is followed by its capital in parentheses. No information was available from Baghdad province; the northern Kurdish provinces of Dahuk, and Irbil; and the central province of Salahuddin. In some cases, elections officials gave only rounded figures. West-Central Iraq: ANBAR (Ramadi): Figures only...

We won again! For a second time, the Iraqi people proved the Western mainstream media, Islamist radicals, self-righteous and nihilistic war protestors, disaffected Democrats, and neo-isolationists wrong: the referendum on the new constitution was successful. The Sunni minority participated in the polling and those among them voting "no" were swamped by the positive outcome. Iraq will have its new constitution. The transforming intervention led by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair will succeed. The global sweep of bourgeois revolution will continue, centering on Iraq's neighbors: monarchical Saudi Arabia, statist Syria, and theocratic Iran. But how long will...

T is probable that the Iraqis have agreed to the new constitution. Its passing is almost certain because the majority, both Shiite and Kurds, support it. The Sunnis, on the other hand, look at the constitution as a death sentence. They fear that the document, drafted as it was by a Kurdish-Shiite-dominated Parliament, will ultimately divide Iraq into three separate districts: A powerful ministate of Kurds in the north and the majority Shiites in the south, both capitalizing on Iraq’s oil wealth. The Sunnis, according to this scenario, would be left impoverished and isolated somewhere in the middle. Such a...

Iraq's landmark constitution seemed assured of passage Sunday after initial results showed minority Sunni Arabs had fallen short in an effort to veto it at the polls. The apparent acceptance was a major step in the attempt to establish a democratic government that could lead to the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Opponents failed to secure the necessary two-thirds "no" vote in any three of Iraqi's 18 provinces, according to counts that local officials provided to The Associated Press. In the crucial central provinces with mixed ethnic and religious populations, enough Shiites and Kurds voted to stymie the Sunni bid to...