Elections show Iraq is no Vietnam

Even Reuters reports high turnout in the Iraqi elections despite terrorist attempts to stop them, many liberals, e.g., Robert Fisk (hat tip: Powerline) still compare Iraq to Vietnam. A loyal reader's schweetie (i.e., "significant other"), an expert on Asian history noted that, during the height of U.S. involvement there, the South Vietnamese never once held free elections, open to multiple parties.

According to Reuters, there were lines in the Sunni city of Fallujah, Iraqis passed out chocolates, turnout was high in Mosul (which has seen increased terrorist activity of late), and this:

Samid Hassan, 32, who lost his leg in a car bomb blast in October, was determined to vote. "I would have crawled here if I had to. I don't want terrorists to kill other Iraqis like they tried to kill me. Today I am voting for peace," he said, leaning on his metal crutches, fierce resolve in his reddened eyes.

Mohammed and Omar write:

I walked forward to my station, cast my vote and then headed to the box, where I wanted to stand as long as I could, then I moved to mark my finger with ink, I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants.
I put the paper in the box and with it, there were tears that I couldn't hold; I was trembling with joy and I felt like I wanted to hug the box but the supervisor smiled at me and said "brother, would you please move ahead, the people are waiting for their turn".

(Hat tip: Powerline) We didn't see that in Vietnam. Maybe that's why we lost there. And why we -- and the Iraqi people -- are winning in Iraq.