Steyn Says: Think bigger, think calmer.

On Iraq: 'Iraq won't be perfect, but it will be okay - and in much better shape than most of its neighbours.'

On Bush: 'don't make the mistake of assuming that Bush's poll numbers on Iraq have fallen because people want him to be more multilateralist and accommodating. On my anecdotal evidence, they want him to be more robust and incendiary.'

On Kerry's 'destroy you' speech: 'the ne plus ultra of weathervane politicians, seems to have figured there aren't enough votes in sounding like Michael Moore...Does Kerry mean it? Probably not. The tough talk's a cover for what would be a return to the ineffectual reactive national-security policy of the 1990s - "I have here a piece of paper from Kim Jong-Il," etc.'

On Changing sides: 'The bleats of "Include me out!" from the fairweather warriors isn't a sign of their belated moral integrity but of their fundamental unseriousness.'

On Moving on: 'I am already looking for new regimes to topple.'

On Losing: 'I'm a relatively relaxed hawk. The US may be forced to suffer the perception of defeat, but it is Europe that will live with the consequences.'

I'm a relatively relaxed hawk too, because however the execution is lacking, the fundamentals were right. If Steyn's correct and Europe does 'live with the consequences' of this perception of failure, I remain relaxed on a personal level because a reasonable response to what comes next depends on having a good foundation.