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This is what "willing to die for your beliefs" really means. Just exactly that. Most of the people who pretend to be alarmed at the deaths in combat and in accidental encounters in Iraq do not themselves have much courage of their convictions.

Most importantly, the military troops who are present in Iraq, to bring some sense of order to that chaotic and tormented land are doing so because they voluntarily entered into a contract with their national government to serve as vangards to protect and extend the blessings of freedom as we know it in our country. We came not as invaders, or for mere conquest and looting of another country, but to protect our interests, and prevent a cancer from spreading.

Those of us who could see that vision of America's purpose knew, going in, that it would be dirty, messy, grubby work. Or has been said in other circumstances, "blood, sweat, toil and tears". The alternative would be unending repeats of the events of September 9, 2001, until we were so weakened we could never recover.

The lines of battle have been drawn. The coming months, into the fall and winter in Iraq, may prove to be far more intractable than anything we have so far faced in Iraq. This is not the time to crumble or break, or as Margaret Thatcher once said, "Don't go wobbly now."