[sfc_darrel]

See if you can read this, from an Associated Press Nasiriyah dispatch, without choking up:

Lance Cpl. Brian Cole, 20, of Kansas City, Kan., was bowled over by the 7-year-old girl who handed him a Christmas card with this painstakingly written text: "Thank you for liberate us. And thank you for help us. You are a great army."

"That made my day, after sitting out in the heat all day. It made it seem worthwhile," said Cole.

The Guardian reports from Basra on another letter of liberation:

As one British tank approached the centre of the city, a young Iraqi handed a letter to the crew written in red ink on the pages of an exercise book. In broken English, it read: "I cannot describe how great and human the action you are achieving is. Since we are the inhabitants of this city, we may know better than you about the progress you have achieved."

And the Washington Post reports from Karbala:

A gathering of senior Army officers on Highway 9 in the city late this afternoon drew an upbeat crowd of more than 100, who alternated expressions of appreciation with petitions for help. Among the shouts from the crowd:

"Thank you very much, Mr. Boss."

"We love you United States."

"Saddam donkey."

"Night and day, no water."

"Hospital. No electricity, no food, no medicine."

"Very happy. I love you George Bush."

A horse-drawn cart rolled past. "Hi, boys," the driver called to heavily armed soldiers forming a loose defensive perimeter. Buses, taxis and smiling pedestrians passed the intersection, many carrying white flags made of tattered rice bags.

This just in, from Time magazine's Joe Klein: "As for the Iraqi people, it just isn't clear that they're particularly happy about all this."