How's that amnesty release program going, you wonder....

We'll, here...take a look...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Hundreds of Iraqis waited for hours outside a Baghdad prison Thursday in hopes their relatives would be included in a much-publicized release. About 80 men were freed, but U.S. officials said they weren't part of the amnesty, and most Iraqi families left disappointed and angry at America.

...U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer announced Wednesday that U.S. occupation forces would free 506 of some 12,800 Iraqi detainees. The first 100 were to be released Thursday from Abu Ghraib prison, where Saddam Hussein's regime tortured and murdered its opponents, Bremer said.

Bremer said the amnesty was a conciliatory gesture as the United States seeks to win goodwill. Other coalition officials said they hoped it would encourage more people to come forward with intelligence tips.

However, instead of generating goodwill for the coalition, the entire exercise appeared to have the opposite effect.

At first light, hundreds of Iraqis gathered at the prison in hopes of greeting loved ones. As the hours passed, the crowd grew frustrated.

Late in the afternoon, two truckloads of prisoners emerged from the compound, driven a half-mile away and deposited in the middle of the road.

People rushed to their cars in pursuit, and a chaotic scene ensued as prisoners hugged and kissed relatives.

But a U.S. official said it was a routine release of about 80 prisoners who were not covered by Bremer's amnesty. Most of those who had gathered outside the prison did not find their loved ones.

...U.S. assurances the releases would continue were little comfort to Ahlam Abdel Wahed, who waited more than nine hours at the prison for a son arrested at her home a month ago. She was left, alone, in the middle of the highway with no word of her son.

We heard of the (amnesty) decision, and I came running to here. Why did they do that? she said, tears coursing down her cheeks.

The whole story.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.