I don't remember how "gung ho" I was about going in in the first place, although I'm sure I thought it was a good idea at the time. At that time, the evidence I saw indicated Saddam was a threat, something that went past the WMD issue for me. The man was a historically-proven regional danger, and Saddam was actually declared such during the Clinton administration. If we had not fought the first Gulf War, Saddam would have become a nuclear power during the Clinton administration, which would have placed us all in some Interesting Times.

I read the Kay and Duelfer reports, and the idea that Saddam would just fade into a peaceful retirement if left alone was a fantasy. The idea that the U.N. would be able to stop him from doing anything he wanted was also a fantasy, something being proven right now in spades with Iran.

Sooner or later somebody was going to have to finish what Bush I and the U.N. started. If not Bush II, than a later president. Or Iran.

That we screwed up on several levels is inarguable. Every war seems to begin with trying to refight the last one, and having to relearn how to do things. Maybe we should have just frigging taken over Iraq for seven years like we did Japan. I don't know.

But once we got into it, I have consistently supported victory. I was cheered by progress, depressed by failures, and wanted it to work. I still do. If that's "gung ho," make the most of it.

For others, it was the opposite. Face it, at the beginning of the war a lot of liberals--at least among those who didn't think we should ever fight any war for any reason--were against it because it was Bush. Period.

During that short period of time after the invasion when it looked like we had actually pulled it off with little trouble, I found it significant that the liberal hatred of Bush reached spectacular highs.

At the time Bush landed on that aircraft carrier, there were no suicide bombings, no IEDs, no insurgency. U.S. casualties had dropped to one a day levels or less. In short, in May of 2003, it looked like Bush and the U.S. military had actually pulled it off, and I learned a lot when I watched liberal heads exploding. I learned a lot more when I watched the unbridled glee when things turned sour.

What will be good about 2009 is that America will finally have permission to succeed in Iraq. If Hillary wins, she will essentially continue the current policies, and you will see a turnaround in our perceived fortunes in Iraq like you wouldn't believe. History belongs to those who write it ("Nixon's War.")