Now that George Bush has apologized for the Iraqi prisoner scandal, it's time to put the whole thing behind us and move on.

It's been a trying week for our country. The abuse scandal has forced us to confront our deepest, darkest selves, to probe the very essence of what it is to be an American. (The great thing is that we did this even though the torture was obviously the work of a few rogue troops at the very bottom of the chain of command, without any encouragement from their superiors.)

Monday and Tuesday of last week were particularly dark days for our country. People were downcast and troubled everywhere you went, asking themselves how such a horrible thing could have happened to the greatest country in the world.

Wednesday was a bridge day, in which the fog seemed to lift a bit. By Thursday and Friday, Americans, encouraged by George Bush's courageous and heartfelt apology, began to forgive themselves for all that had happened.

Saturday morning was still a bit rough, I hear, although I wouldn't know personally, since I never get up before 11:00.

By Saturday night, though, the healing was complete. In the shopping malls and the movie theatres, at the baseball parks and the ATM machines, Americans were upbeat, optimistic, knowing that the country was back on track.

The message is clear. We may have taken a few bumps and bruises during the week. But now the worst is behind us. We are a forgetful--er, I mean, forgiving people. America is proud. America is strong.

America is back.