One of the reasons we are here

Hi Patch,
.
One of the reasons it was important for Americans to come to Iraq was to make sure that everyone got to use their right to vote.  Before we came, there was only one person to vote for, and almost everyone thought that he was pretty mean.
.
Now there are lots of people to vote for, so Iraqis can choose someone who will work in the government to help them.  That right is very important to them and the first time that they got to vote for anyone they wanted they were very happy.

.
There will be another election soon and we will help to make sure that things go okay and no one cheats.
.

They use ink to show when someone has already voted and you can see in the picture that the man is so happy that he is kissing the ink!

.

I wonder if his lips turned purple!!!

.

Love you like a representative democracy,

Dad