The reason Bush is gaining confidence in Iraq is because (a) the tide is turning there against al-Qaeda and (b) a majority of America sees that Iraq can be won:

A majority of Americans say the United States can win the war in Iraq, but the country is sharply divided along party lines about every aspect of the war, according to a United Press International/Zogby poll released today.

The poll shows 54 percent of Americans said the war is not lost. However, among Democrats, 66 percent said the mission has failed already, compared to 9 percent of Republicans who shared that view.

The survey also showed the country split on the success of the U.S. troop surge ordered earlier this year by President Bush and on the wartime performance of the Democrat-led Congress.

The fact is these numbers are not done moving. We have yet to get the good news from Iraq in the report Gen Petraeus and Amb Crocker will be delivering in a couple of weeks. Will we see perfection? No. Have we won? Not yet. But the left is now emotionally and literally tied to America’s defeat in Iraq. They will be the last to wake up from their delusional fantasies of Bush losing and all their views being vindicated. In fact they will be the last to face reality – it will be that hard for them to face. But vindication will be there for Bush, our wonderful military, and those who stood by the effort while many ran running for personal cover. And one other view will be vindicated: Democrats cannot be trusted with national security and have no spine to face down enemies like al-Qaeda. All the lunches in Syria will never result in al-Qaeda’s image being destroyed and making them the enemy of Muslims in the region like we are seeing now in Iraq and elsewhere. The Surge is working, beyond even minimal expectations as we liberate Iraqis now from the clutches of Bin Laden’s goons.