I was impressed by his determination or resolution. I was convinced that retreat from Iraq would be disastrous for both Iraqis and us. And I was also convinced that the new plan is based on genuine and responsible reflection on past mistakes. Our president certainly didn’t seem clueless or in denial. But I also thought that the new plan was embedded with pretty optimistic assumptions about relatively nonsectarian Iraqi behavior. It’s unclear what will happen if their government and forces don’t live up to our expectations, our "benchmarks." All the commentators are saying that the president needs some relatively quick success or even much of his own party in Congress will abandon him. To tell the truth, I can’t tell how reasonable the hope is that he will achieve it. But he and our forces deserve our support and our prayers.