Jack Kingston: “as the representative of the 48th Brigade and the 3rd Infantry Division, I have thousands of constituents in Iraq. I…”

“as the representative of the 48th Brigade and the 3rd Infantry Division, I have thousands of constituents in Iraq. I look each day, as most Americans do, for good news to come from that area of the world; and good news did come this weekend with their unprecedented election. This election, which had a lot of high stakes, will hopefully, when the tally is counted, ratify their constitution, which so many have worked on in the international community for so long. The election itself, though, was a great success, with an over-60 percent turnout. In over 6,000 different polling places, violence was absent. Compare that to the June election, when there was a lot more absence and a lot less participation. This Saturday was a success. Even the Sunni population, the minority population that has a lot of apprehension about this constitution, showed up in record numbers. And, remember, they boycotted the election in June. There is a lot of progress that is happening in Iraq. I hope that this constitution does pass. I hope that the elections in December are a success. I hope that the new national government takes hold and does a great job of moving this great country to democracy. America has made this possible, and America is standing behind our friends in Iraq. ____________________”