A lot of people are going to spend this day looking back on the events of a year ago. It is good and right that they do so; loving remembrance is the least we can do for those who died that day. But I'd like to take a moment to look forward instead.

I believe that, when ten years have elapsed, rather than just one, we will be able to look back on our work with more than a little pride. I believe that, by September 11, 2011, the Middle East and Central Asia will be home to half a dozen or more newly-minted, growing and thriving liberal democracies. Millions of Arabs and other Muslims will be liberated from tyranny and fear, and will have realistic hope for a better future for themselves and their progeny.

I believe that this change, like the democratization of Germany and Japan before it, will be brought about by the force of arms; true tyrants cannot be swayed by any language other than force.

Too many lives have been lost, and more will be lost before we are done. But I believe that this revolutionary change will be what gives meaning to those losses. Not the downfall and humiliation of evil (though that is still a goal worth achieving), but the triumph of all those who yearn to breathe free in all the nations of the world.

Some day, an Arab head of state -- having just unseated her incumbent opponent in a free and fair election -- will stridently criticize the United States, calling us reckless, dangerous cowboys who are endangering world peace. And we will smile and shake our heads, as if amused by some private joke. We will know the truth: that when the world really was at the brink of the abyss, it was a clear eye, a steady hand, and a true heart -- the cowboy virtues -- that saw us all through.

Gratitude is always fleeting. And fighting for the sake of glory is just as bad as fighting for revenge; it makes you crazy and stupid. Just do the right thing. If we manage to make the world a better place, that's all the reward we need.

That sunset looks mighty inviting. Let's ride.

And don't forget to leave a silver bullet.