Political Quotes

“the right to vote--democracy itself--is more than a way to settle disputes, however petty or important. It is, rather, the embodiment of a larger, much more important notion: the notion that every individual is worthwhile; that every individual, by virtue of his or her humanity, is worthy of consideration and respect. What an important notion. How that notion is disregarded and abused in so many places in the world--sometimes even here at home. Where was that notion ignored more systematically than in Saddam's brutalized Iraq? The Iraq of terror, of mass graves, of mothers and children killed by poison gas and rotting where they dropped to the ground? Yet less than 2 years later, the Iraqi people, under the protection of an American-led Coalition and their own nascent security forces, have turned out in defiance of threats and, in some cases, even in the face of explosions and gunfire, to cast ballots. When they did so, they affirmed that, as individuals, they were anyone's equal; they were, in essence, demanding respect from those who would govern them. And by joining together in public, each with their one vote, they were affirming their willingness to respect their neighbors and permit each of them an equal share of power. Mr. Speaker, as has been said repeatedly, this is but one step in a long road. The election was not perfect. Elections never are. And yet, this election may turn out to be a strategic victory for freedom for Iraq and for its region.”