In many ways today's speech was Bush at his best.  He was tough, resolute, and confident - all things which the American people tend to like in their Presidents - but he also effectively emphasized that the policy on the ground in Iraq is "dynamic," "flexible," and constantly evolving and adapting tactics and techniques. He cited specific, tangible examples of progress in training Iraqi forces but did so without rattling off a bunch of eye-glazing statistics. He became emotional when talking about the troops (as he always does), but in the context of today's speech his deeply held belief that finishing the job in Iraq is the only way to honor the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers is something I think resonates with a great number of people.

Will this speech revive Bush's political fortunes on Iraq? Not by itself, no.  Today, supporters of the war heard "we're making progress" and opponents of the war heard "more of the same." Maybe Bush changed a few minds in the middle, but probably not many (how many people are watching cable TV at 9am?). I do think, however, over the next 90 days or so Bush has a chance - perhaps the final one of his presidency - to swing public opinion back in his favor on Iraq with the elections on December 15 and a concerted effort by the President to educate and inform the public on the continuing progress. The trial of Saddam could also provide a boost, as would the capture or killing of Zarqawi, bin Laden, or both.

The President would be in a much better position today if he had given a speech like this or held a press conference on Iraq every 10 days for the last six months. But the White House has done a poor job of defending the most important policy of this presidency, and it's only gotten worse in the last three months since being buffeted by a string of bad news including Hurricane Katrina, Harriet Miers, and the Libby indictment, all of which have indirectly hurt support for Iraq by driving down Bush's overall job rating. At the same time, Democrats have stepped up their attacks across the board and have effectively been handing the administration its hat for weeks with little to no resistance.

In that sense today's speech was important. Bush reestablished an aggressive strategic political position on Iraq not only articulating the current policy and promoting progress, but by saying in plain terms that artificial timetables for withdrawal are out of the question while he is president.  Timetables for troop withdrawals will be private, not public. They will be set by military commanders, not politicians. And they will be based on one criterion: achieving victory. Of course, Bush has now established he is the one who determines what victory is, not Congress.

All in all it was one of Bush's best efforts. The question is whether Bush's best will be good enough to win back the upper hand on the Iraq debate.