I don't think anyone ever doubted that the U.S. coalition would prevail over the Iraqi army.

I guess in most people's minds it was more a question of how long it would take.

The more I watched the coverage on the television, the more apparent it became to me that our forces truly are well-trained and well-intentioned.

I watched one of our soldiers carrying on his back an injured Iraqi soldier.

The U.S. soldier was carrying the Iraqi away to receive medical treatment.

I watched U.S. troops gingerly avoid destroying a mosque where a number of Iraqi soldiers had holed up. The Iraqis were firing at our soldiers.

It would have been really easy for our boys to call for an air strike and level the place.

Instead, they risked life and limb to secure the mosque without destroying it.

I watched U.S. troops drop to one knee and point their weapons to the ground when confronted by angry civilians who thought the troops were going to storm a mosque.

In fact, the troops were on the way to secure the mosque at the request of the local clerics.

After the troops knelt, some of the angry civilians knelt, too, partially diffusing the situation.

In the end, the commander of the troops decided it would be best just to leave the area and give the local clerics a chance to explain the troops' intentions to the civilians.

I watched as tons of food and water were distributed as part of a massive and growing humanitarian aid effort in southern Iraq.

And I listened as military types briefing the press on Thursday noted the significance of taking over Saddam International Airport near Baghdad.

It was important to secure the airport without destroying it. The U.S. wanted the airport to be fully functional in order to fly in humanitarian aid and military supplies.

I thought it was interesting to note they mentioned humanitarian aid first.

At every turn, coalition forces have conducted themselves with precision, efficiency and honor.

I know this is true, because you can be sure that if there were any screw-ups, CNN would be on it like a wet blanket.

That's why I like the concept of embedded reporters. It thwarts the ability of news gatherers to speculate. They can't second guess and point fingers as much because they have reporters right on the scene.

As it is, it seems to me that mistakes are magnified by the media while successes are simply reported.

There is a glaring exception - Fox. They seem to be almost cheerleaders for the coalition forces. They tend to trumpet the successes and simply report the mistakes.

I like Fox.

Compare and contrast our troops' behavior with that of the Iraqi soldiers.

Summary executions of their own soldiers and coalition soldiers. Murder of innocent civilians. Severed tongues.

British forces took control of a town in the south.

When they entered the local police station they found large hooks hanging from the ceiling.

In the basement, 4x8 cells housed nothing more than a filthy mattress and pillow.

They discovered a torture chamber, complete with electric prods and tires on the floor.

Apparently, the cops stood on the tires to insulate themselves while administering electric shocks to prisoners.

The soldiers found dozens of identification cards of young Iraqi men. It is a crime in Iraq to be caught without your ID.

One can only guess the fate of the owners of all those ID cards.

One local resident told the soldiers about a tariff system operated by the local cops. If you were accused of a crime and you had enough money, you wouldn't be punished.

Is there is anyone left who would argue the world won't be a better place with Saddam out of power?

But don't take my word for it. Don't take the government's word for it. Don't even take CNN's word for it.

Just read what "Angie" had to say. Angie called WLS radio in Chicago during the Don Wade and Roma show. They were talking about the war and protesters and the like and taking calls from listeners.

When Angie got on the line, she thanked Don and Roma for taking her call and told them she really liked their show.

When she started to talk, she was very matter-of-fact. She remained very polite and courteous the whole time, but by the end she was very emotional and choking back tears.

You could hear the raw emotion in her voice. It loses something in print, but I think everybody needs to hear what she had to say.

This is an exact transcript, taking into account her Iraqi/English.

"I was born in Iraq and I left Iraq when I was 17. And I came to a country that accepted me for what I am. Iraq never accepted me because of my religion. I am a second class citizen over there because I was Christian. Iraqi people are dead. Bush is not killing Iraqi people or our troops are not killing Iraqi children. Saddam killed them long time ago and thank God for Bush. Finally there is a man who will speak for Iraqi children. I know a lot of people will die and that is sad, but Iraqi people are dead. You just don't know how bad it is living under that regime. So for those people, for those Americans that are ignorant about what is going on in Iraq, please understand, the Iraqi people are dead. They have no voice. We can't speak our mind. We can't practice our religion. And this is the only country ... thank God for America. You just don't know how you should appreciate this country. You just don't know how lucky you are. And you know I am a citizen and I am proud to be American. And shame on those Americans that say stuff like that about our troops. Shame on them! Bush never killed anybody and Saddam been killing all these children. I cannot speak my mind, because if I speak my mind he'll cut my tongue over there! He will rape our children in front of our eyes. You just don't know how bad it is. So for those ignorant people, please, shut up! OK, that's all I have to say and I'm so proud, so proud to be an American. Thank you for listening." [[In-content Ad]]