A year after President Bush asked the U.N. to take seriously its numerous resolutions concerning Iraq, we were glad to see him return to the General Assembly this week without apology for the result:

"The Security Council was right to demand that Iraq destroy its illegal weapons and prove it had done so. The Security Council was right to vow serious consequences if Iraq refused to comply. And because there were consequences--because a coalition of nations acted to defend the peace, and the credibility of the United Nations--Iraq is free, and today we are joined by the representatives of a liberated country."

It was, of course, no thanks to certain leaders in the U.N. audience that all of this has been achieved. These same people are now citing troubles in Iraq as evidence of the wisdom of their obstruction. But the underlying reality is that it is Mr. Bush who changed the world by toppling Saddam Hussein. He is now likely to get his way on a new Iraqi resolution as well, French grumbling notwithstanding.

Mr. Bush was properly generous and conciliatory. He praised the work of U.N. aid organizations in Iraq. He also opened the door for greater U.N. involvement in reconstruction, but without the panicked supplication his critics at home and abroad all seem to agree is in order. Our own view is that a Presidential visit to Iraq would also do a lot to highlight the many accomplishments that Mr. Bush justifiably cited...