Tomorrow the Iraqi people vote in the first multi-party national elections in Iraq in over 50 years.  No matter where you stand on the war, occupation, and current U.S. presence in Iraq, you surely must be hoping that the elections go well.  The press lately has put a more positive, hopeful spin on the Iraqi elections.  Violence continues, but Iraqis appear to be reacting positively to the elections as candidates and as voters.  According to the Washington Post, a polling place has been set up in New Carrollton, Maryland, a D.C. suburb, to accommodate expatriate Iraqi voters.  Iraqis have traveled from all over the U.S. to vote there.  I hope that the vote goes well and is a decisive one, not an election marred by violence, disenfranchisement, or fraud.  These can happen anywhere in places such as the Ukraine, and even in Washington State where the result of the Washington gubernatorial race is being challenged in court.  Iraq undoubtedly has an even greater possibility of having a marred election.  Let’s hope not.

From the "Things that Make You Go Hmm" Department:  Today while I was pumping gas into my vehicle at a local gas station I noticed a large cigarette advertisement over the gas pump.  Well, that makes a whole lot of sense.  Please…no smoking while pumping gas, but by the way go buy some cigarettes while you’re pumping gas.  Definitely a great example of product misplacement! 

We had our first major snowstorm of the year this morning.  Only three inches of snow fell on the Washington, D.C. area, but it happened so quickly on the eve of Inauguration Day that it threw many people here into a huge panic.  It’s been said that drivers in D.C. represent different driving styles from around the world, and many are notoriously bad drivers even in good weather.  The sudden snow left many drivers panicked, stranded, or victims of fender benders.  I went by the Rosslyn area in Arlington today and watched in amusement as cars with bald tires try to climb the hill on Wilson Blvd.  Not a chance!  It was a big mess.  I even passed by a Porsche stalled in the middle of the freeway.  All those horses don’t mean a thing if you don’t have good tires.  I also drove today and was concerned too about getting home in a reasonable amount of time, but by the time I on my way the snow had started to melt and the commute was much better.  I’m just glad that tomorrow is a day off for D.C.-area Federal employees so I don’t have to venture far from home.  Inauguration Day is always in D.C. when it comes around every four years.

I also saw Secretary of State Colin Powell bid adieu today to the State Department.  It was a tearful farewell.  I didn’t attend the ceremony but I watched part of it on television.  Secretary Powell will be greatly missed.  He made some major changes in the Department that have helped better prepare it for the challenges of the 21st Century.  Dr. Condoleeza Rice was confirmed by the Senate yesterday and will be the incoming Secretary of State.  I hope that she can continue to carry on the reforms that Secretary Powell started.  Tomorrow is a new day and a new administration.