Protesters in Lebanon shouted out this warning to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria last week.

By doing so they gave President Bush a compliment that many here at home are loathe to do.

Don't believe me? Just look at those protesters, they believe Bush's actions are helping to make a different future a possibility, or they wouldn't have the guts to engage in what they're now doing.

They are acknowledging what Israeli's like to call "facts on the ground" only in this case it isn't settlements in disputed territory rather it is populations of these countries taking their first, unsteady steps toward self-determination.

The Bush Doctrine is working, and working faster than anyone but a head-in-the-clouds optimist would even dream of. Simply put the doctrine is to eliminate terrorism and confront those who oppose us using the most effective means at hand which just happens to be by spreading freedom and little d democracy.

Depending on the situation the means is sometimes direct military action, sometimes diplomatic back and forth and sometimes it's knife-in-the-back, knee-to-the-groin type covert operations.

It isn't as simplistic as Bush's opponents would like to paint it, they would prefer to avoid noticing the nuanced application of force from someone who claims, "I don't do nuance."

There are several proofs that Bush's actions are having salutatory effects, especially in the Middle East. Afghanistan is a country well on the way to democracy.

Libya's Mohamar Ghadafy voluntarily gave up his WMD programs to keep from facing the consequences. Iraqis are starting to turn on the "insurgents" and are taking back their towns and villages themselves, even when they don't have the American forces with them, they've had a taste of freedom's elixir and they want more.

Now the Lebanese, crushed under the boot of Syria's Assads, father and son, are starting to flex their muscle, newly discovered since Bush has created an atmosphere that encourages freedom. Bush's opponents claim that this policy detracts from the war on terror but they simply can't see the forest for the trees.

The evidence at this point suggests that Bush has the right idea, eliminate the safe havens that terrorists use, limit their ability to move money to finance operations and reduce their ability to communicate and you eliminate the terrorists' effectiveness.

Instead of being a distraction the Bush doctrine is central to reducing and controlling terrorism.

Terrorism will never be completely eliminated, let's face it there are dozens, scores even hundreds of different brands of terrorism from domestic brands to imported varieties of all types. In the face of those facts you can't just throw up your hands and give up, you have to look for other ways to address the situation.

Bush has done a good job of that around the globe, it's about time he got a reprieve from all the partisan cheap shots he has endured for the past four and a half years, not because I care about his feelings, but because they are reducing the effectiveness of his policy just when it is beginning to bear fruit.

Another reason his political opponents should consider letting up is what will happen to their future political fortunes if Bush manages to pull off even more victories despite their opposition, just like what happened to Tom Daschle from South Dakota, who is now enjoying a vacation from all that hard work in the Senate after the public got tired of his obstreperous objections to Bush's agenda.