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A local
Kurdish woman's appreciation for President Bush
stood out among nearly 8,000 attendees at the Bison
Sports Arena Thursday.
Nazdar Hassan stood up and yelled with joy when Bush
started talking about the elections in Afghanistan
during the rally.
"It was just like a dream," Hassan said afterward.
The Dilworth woman said she told the president she
was unable to vote in the Iraqi elections, but said
she had voted for him in November.
"OK, wait a minute, you got ahead of the story,"
Bush said, eliciting laughter, when he learned she
is from Iraq. "You got me to Iraq before we even got
out of Afghanistan."
Now an American citizen, Hassan came to the United
States as a refugee from northern Iraq in 1991,
after the first Gulf War.
Hassan and her daughters, Nirosh Ismail, 20, and
Niveen Hassan, 9, secured a spot close to the
president near the northeast corner of the arena
with help from local conservative radio personality
Scott Hennen.
Hassan's sons, Ahmed Ismail, 18, and Adil Ismail,
15, were elsewhere in the arena.
Ahmed Ismail was in the press box, also with help
from Hennen, when he heard a familiar voice coming
from close to the stage.
"I told them right away, I said, 'That's my mom,'"
he said.
"She was shaking," said Nirosh Ismail, who sat
beside her mother.
After Hassan's outburst, a Kurdish man also stood up
and thanked the president for liberating Iraq.
"You are right -- they are wrong!" said Hussein
Weled.
The president thanked him, saying, "Nothing better
than a little free speech to liven up the crowd."
Hennen, who requested the seats from the governor's
office, said Hassan's outburst was spontaneous --
though he thought White House officials were
pleased.
"It wasn't staged," he said. "It's genuine."
After the rally, Bush signed tickets for some family
members and wished Niveen Hassan a happy birthday.
"Now I know God likes President Bush," Hassan said,
"because even the weather is nice."
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