As I watched the pictures of Iraqis celebrating after bringing down the statues of Saddam both yesterday and today I thought: This is what it was all about.

Yes, Saddam had programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. And we will find them.

Yes, Saddam had ties to terrorists. Maybe not al Qaeda but certainly Hamas and others whose enmity is just as great.

But most of all, the people waving American flags will never fly airplanes into buildings. The men pulling Saddam's head by a chain will never pour infectious diseases into a city's water supply. And the children kissing Marines will strive for more in life than to strap on an explosives belt and detonate themselves in a shopping mall.

This does not mean that there is not a long, hard road ahead to re-build the government and the economy and the spirit of Iraq. Neither does it mean we will take it upon ourselves to liberate everyone who lives under a brutal dictator. But, maybe, with the lesson and guidance of Iraq, we won't need to.