While it's certainly true that the Bush administration has bet a lot of its reputation on success in Iraq, much of the Left has similarly bet a lot of its credibility on failure there.

Just something to keep in mind when reading reports from either side.

If Iraq succeeds, what the hell are the Democrats going to say and do?

Well, other than try to rewrite history like with the Cold War.

In twenty years, the story will be that success in Iraq was inevitable, a cakewalk, and that only Bush's bungling kept it from happening sooner. Hell, if Gore had won in 2000, not only would 9/11 never have happened, but Iraq and the entire Middle East would have been free before the next election!