Joe, this is why you're the partisan hack writer you are: Your pessimism and nagging would doom your chances in any other profession, where optimism and hope and goodwill are key. I think most people realize that, when faced with obstacles, even the byzantine ones we face in Iraq, it's more promising to believe in a favorable outcome than a disastrous one. That's just day-to-day-living 101.

I don't know how our efforts in Iraq are going to turn out, and neither do you. Although I admire your rhetorical skills, your petty and miserable nay-saying during what is perhaps the most important conflict in our lifetime does not mark you as a great thinker; it only shows your desire for the United States to fail, whatever the cost.