Last night President Bush delivered the annual "State of the Union" address. I plan on commenting on some excerpts, beginning tonight.

"A young woman in Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day, and wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said: "Hearing those explosions, it occurred to me the insurgents are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted together." Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we share it. In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all. One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country: "We were occupied for 35 years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. Thank you to the American people who paid the cost, but most of all to the soldiers." Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country, and we are honored that she is with us tonight." - President Bush

Agree or disagree with the war in Iraq, this should make any American proud. Our nation is distinct from any other nation that I know of in history. I can't think of any other nations that fought wars, not to acquire territory and colonize, but rather to liberate and promote self-rule.

I am proud of what we are accomplishing. I truly believe that when people get a taste of freedom and representative government, the will embrace it. This is a new concept to the Iraqi people. I am amazed at the degree to which they have succeeded, in a relatively short time. It took Germany and Japan many years to become self-sustaining representative republics. I believe that freedom will, in time, win the day in Iraq. No, our nation is far from perfect, but we are generally a force for good in the world.

I am also proud of the courage of Iraqis who indeed showed by voting and participating despite threats to their lives. I hate to admit it but I would say that I don't think that Americans would vote in those numbers if they were under a similar threat. As soon as I say that, though, I remember that the truth is that we don't vote in those numbers now, without the threat of violence. In that regard, the Iraqis put many of us in America to shame.