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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