President George Bush performed like a man in command of the moment Tuesday night, expressing the outrage of America over the invasion of Kuwait and the captivity of thousands of innocent civilians, asserting the need for America’s allies to participate in the confrontation with Suddam Hussein and declaring the country’s determination to stand on principle in the Persian Gulf.

The nation needed to hear these words from its president, who managed in his brief national address to describe this country’s motivation and define its mission in the Middle East. This was not an easy thing to do, given the pervading issue of petroleum, which coats and obscures even the best intentions and the loftiest notions of protecting the helpless and challenging aggression.

The Democratic response by House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt was more an echo — a solid expression of support for a difficult national policy that thus far has not wilted in the Saudi Arabian desert or in the heat of national sctrutiny.

For a country that endured the long quagmire of Vietnam, the president’s words were clear and reassuring. The objective is simple: Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait. America’s resolve is present in the Persian Gulf in the men and women of its armed forces. The end of the confrontation is up to Iraq’s Hussein. No more needed to be said.