"They are facing terrorists who have declared war on democracy itself and made voting a life-and-death process," the 2008 presidential contender declared. "We hope this vote succeeds and pray for a safe election day."

Though neither Clinton nor her husband has commented since throngs of Iraqis turned out to vote, her statement stands in marked contrast to comments by Sen. John Kerry, a likely rival in 2008, as well as other top Democrats.

On Sunday Kerry dismissed the vote, questioning its legitimacy and warning the White House not to "overhype" its significance.

The same day Sen. Ted Kennedy repeated his call for a U.S. pullout, suggesting the impact of the Iraq election was limited at best.

Editor's note: