Phil Gingrey: “I feel honored this evening as we approach the midnight hour here in Washington to realize that it is the dawn of a new…”

“I feel honored this evening as we approach the midnight hour here in Washington to realize that it is the dawn of a new day in Iraq. The sun is coming up almost as we speak, and I raise my hand and my index finger in symbolic fashion to salute the 10.5 million people who went to the polls in that historic election on December 15. Madam Speaker, listen to what some of the Iraqi people have had to say about how they feel about the vote that was cast yesterday. ``This day is revenge for Saddam.'' Kurdish voter Chiman Saleh, whose two brothers were killed by Saddam's forces. The ink-stained finger after he voted. ``The time has come to build Iraq with our own hands and to use the great wealth that God has granted to Iraq, to rebuild Iraq so that we can turn our poverty into wealth and our misery into happiness.'' Prime minister al-Jaafari. Finally, from the Associated Press, some good news: ``So many Sunni Arabs voted that ballots ran out in some places. The strong participation by Sunnis,'' the backbone of the insurgency, Madam Speaker, ``bolstered United States hopes that the election could produce a broad-based government capable of ending the daily suicide attacks and other violence.'' From the Associated Press. Good news indeed. Madam Speaker, listen to what General George Casey, the Multinational Force Commanding General in Iraq, said today: ``The Iraqi people have had a great day.…”