The AP reports that Iraqis in Alam, near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, can't wait to vote in tomorrow's elections. They understand that a free Iraqi government provides the only method of seeing the American troops leave:

Many Iraqis living near Saddam Hussein's hometown said they will vote Sunday because the ballot — not violence — will end Iraq's occupation by U.S.-led coalition troops. ...

The local leader of one of Iraq's largest clans here is bidding for a seats in the 275-member National Assembly that will govern the country and draft a permanent constitution.

Mashaan al-Jbouri, who heads the 37-member Liberation and Reconciliation Front, has said the country can be freed from occupation only through peaceful means.

Hasan Mohammed Khazaal, a 24-year-old university student, backed that notion.

"We will have a new constitution and I can get rid of the occupiers through elections. This is the only way to evict the occupiers," said Khazaal, who had decorated his car with posters of al-Jbouri, the local chief of the Jbour clan.

Not all of the above sounds like good news, but I think that it demonstrates a healthy attitude by the people of Alam. They don't like America and want to see us leave, certainly. But what's missing is the conspiracy-theory notions that have made some Iraqis susceptible to the dark attraction of groups like Zarqawi's Tawid and Jihad. The Alamites have a firm grip on reality; they may not like the fact that the Sunnis won't maintain the monopoly on power they had under Saddam, but they intend on being part of the new power structure nonetheless, even if it's motivated by a desire to see us leave.

The second part of the good news is their acknowledgement that America has the resolve to face down the terrorists. Iraqis like Jbouri and Khazaal know that Zarqawi's method only results in dead Iraqis and tougher security measures, not any sign of American retreat. In fact, that acknowledgement shows that despite the best efforts of idiots like Ted Kennedy, our tenacity gets better communication than any signs of surrender from the defeatist Left.

That dawning realization, along with the general momentum of the election in Iraq and the notable enthusiasm that it has generated, will account for a large turnout in the next few hours. Love us or hate us, the Iraqis understand that only elections will give them their freedom.

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Tracked on January 29, 2005 9:57 PM