BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqis voted Saturday to give a "yes" or "no" to a constitution that would define democracy in Iraq, a country once ruled by Saddam Hussein and now sharply divided among its Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities.

The polls opened at 7 a.m., just hours after insurgents sabotaged power lines in the northern part of the country, plunging the Iraqi capital into darkness and cutting off water supplies.

The capital was eerily quiet under clear blue skies Saturday morning. Iraqi soldiers and police ringed polling stations at schools, and driving was banned to stop suicide car bombings by Sunni-led insurgents determined to wreck the vote. Only a few citizens were seen walking to the schools, which were protected by concrete barriers and barbed wire.

But President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari were shown live on Al-Iraqiya television voting in a hall in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, where parliament and the U.S. Embassy are based. After putting their paper ballots in white-and-black plastic boxes, both smiled and waved to the public.

"The constitution will pave the way for a national unity," said al-Jafaari. "It is a historical day, and I am optimistic that the Iraqis will say `yes.'"

It is amazing to see the type of adversity the Iraqis are having to wade through in order to take part in their new democracy. Kudos to them. Were I a gambling man I'd be willing to wager that the turnout for this vote is higher than America's turnout for the Presidential election back in November.

And even if the Iraqis say "no" to this constitution its not the end. Its just another step in the political process. It took America well over a decade to pass our Constitution. If the Iraqis have to go back to the drawing board on theirs it should come as no surprise. A bit disappointing, perhaps, but not surprising.

At least the people of Iraq will have spoken instead of having the laws jammed down their throats with violence and oppression. Which is, of course, how things went back before we liberated the place.