U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn) described the elections in Iraq today (Sunday, Jan. 30) as "a magnificent day in the history of human freedom, a day that forever will be remembered as a turning point in the Middle East."

In a statement issued from St. Paul, the Republican senator noted that "for the first time in 
most of their lifetimes, the Iraqi people have gone to the polls to chart the course of their own 
destiny. 

"We must never forget that this undeniable progress comes at an enormous price to our men 
and women in uniform," Coleman said. 

"Countless numbers of our families, friends, sons and daughters have sacrificed to give the Iraqi people the chance to take control of their own future, free of tyranny and terror. 

"While our work in Iraq is far from over, this day belongs not only to the Iraqi people, 
but to those who have given their all in the advance of freedom and liberty far from home.” 
—Donald H. Harrison