"I am happier than on my wedding day"

Kinda says it all, doesn't it?

Iraqi Expatriates Begin Voting in U.S.

SOUTHGATE, Mich. -- Joyful tears and frequent applause marked the start of U.S. voting Friday in Iraq's first independent elections in more than 50 years.

Security was tight at the abandoned store-turned-polling place in this Detroit suburb, with guards checking IDs at the parking lot entrance and using metal detectors at the doors. Inside, an oversized, homemade Iraqi flag hung from the ceiling. One poll worker could be seen weeping.

"We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting," said Zoha Yess, 64. "We want fair, good government."

Make sure to stay on top of the election this weekend with on-the-ground reports from Friends of Democracy. Unfiltered news untouched by the spin artists of the American media.