WAR WAS SHORT BUT LET'S HOPE THAT PEACE IS LONG

Six weeks ago today, our editorial started this way: So, it is war. Now, by the grace of God, it is not. Peace sounds no sweeter than the moment the shooting stops.

Forty-two days after announcing to Americans that his armed forces had joined those of other nations to battle Saddam Hussein, President Bush issued orders Wednesday night to stop the shooting. The just cause had a just result. The aggressor had been turned back; Iraq was evicted from Kuwait.

How could we not be moved by the television footage of Kuwaitis celebrating the liberation of their nation. Language barriers don't conceal joy. How too could we not feel more special about our own freedom, having seen people who have had theirs interrupted for eight months.

The war machine of Saddam Hussein has been broken to bits. The tyrant's ability to carry out his agenda of terror in the Middle East has been crippled. The Iraqi people who have suffered at their leader's hands should take note and finish the job the coalition started. Saddam should be held to account for his brutal actions; at the very least, he should be kept far from power.

We can't say that the war was easily won, for that would be an insult to the families of those 79 Americans who lost their lives in liberating Kuwait. It would also be to minimize the contributions of the courageous men and women acting in the service of freedom. By most standards of conflict, this war ended relatively early ... but that does not mean harm's way was a comfortable place to be. We could exhaust our capacity for superlatives and still not adequately express our pride in the fighting forces of this nation. Their extraordinary bravery in trying circumstances inspires us all.

As this item is prepared for press, the guns of the allies have fallen silent in Kuwait and Iraq. They will stay that way absent enemy provocation. Still, our surprise couldn't be too great if, by the time we awaken this day, another atrocity has shown itself and the fighting goes on. Saddam has proved to be a man who finds it hard to get the message; in this case, the message was sent convincingly and at great cost. Discretion would behoove him, though it hasn't before.

Were there bright spots? We might be heartened by the way the nation rallied around its troops, the way a coalition of diverse nations pursued a common goal, the way our military performed under pressure, the way allies didn't flinch from the rightness of a cause. But blood carries no silver lining. War remains mankind's most wasteful activity. Unfortunately, peace too is hard to manage well. As we hope this peace holds and another global madman has been taken down, we know that America must always be prepared to act decisively when the cause of justice calls it to battle. It is one call that we hope never comes.