Days after President Bush’s incognito visit to Iraq, some of the warm cheer it brought has faded and his critics have plenty of complaints to make, some of them valid: The trip was a reckless political maneuver. It required lying to the press and his security. It was a token gesture from a president who has yet to attend a soldier’s funeral. And Bush spent little time visiting with the people of Iraq or with those whom he hopes will lead Iraq.

But cynicism aside, it was undeniably a great moment for Bush personally. It emphasized the best side of his gung-ho, no-nonsense personality and his admiration for the men and women who serve under him. And it was undoubtedly a happy surprise for the several hundred troops to have their commander-in-chief visit them on the front lines.

No matter how much of a publicity stunt his trip was intended to be, President Bush did bring some real meat to the table. At a time when he might have been tempted to skirt a sensitive topic, he instead addressed head-on the doubts about whether the administration still had its heart in completing the job in Iraq.

“We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a brutal dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins,” Bush told the cheering crowd of soldiers. “We will prevail … We will stay until the job is done.”

The promise, like the trip itself, was gutsy. And it is an important one.

The stability of Iraq and its future are far from promising. The meticulous secrecy and airtight security that the trip required, plus the fact that a soldier in Baghdad was killed only hours after Bush left, say a lot about the current condition of Iraq.

While Bush’s visit may have been an important morale booster at the end of the deadliest month since the beginning of the war, there were still important long-term issues about the Iraq occupation left unaddressed. Such as how America will sustain its overburdened military. Or, when American soldiers do leave, how to prevent religious and ethnic tensions from wrecking the prospect of peaceful democratic elections.

The Thanksgiving trip was a beautifully crafted event, whether its motives were political or altruistic. Hopefully, there are more ingenious, more helpful tricks up Bush’s sleeve for the future of Iraq, so one day, Air Force One can fly — announced and with its lights on — into Baghdad International Airport.