President Obama marked the official end of combat operations in Iraq Tuesday night with a speech whose larger message was, in the final words of the speech, "better days lie ahead." The president said the end of American involvement in Iraq is in sight, he has a plan for Afghanistan that includes a transition out of that war beginning next year, and our central mission now as a people is to improve the economy.

The president might just as well have said, "Stick with me and we'll get through this together. Things are looking up, and it's always darkest before the dawn." He didn't use those words, but that was his theme.

Obviously, Obama is looking ahead to the November elections and trying to convince Americans that things are not so bad. But setting aside the president's political motivation, Americans could use a bit of bucking up these days, what with 10 percent unemployment and the depressing news that the economic recovery is losing steam. A little pep talk wasn't out of line.

The president reminded his listeners that the end of combat operations in Iraq fulfills a campaign promise he made. But in the process he called for the nation to move beyond its differences over the motivations for the war, and he paid a gracious tribute to President George W. Bush in that context.

We hope that the president's plea for political reconciliation does not fall on deaf ears. We believe it is heartfelt, and what's more it is critical to the future of the nation. The United States cannot long survive the current toxic atmosphere of its politics and the government stalemate that is the result. While it may sound naive to make that observation during a hotly contested midterm campaign, the truth is that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans will emerge from the coming election with strong enough numbers to move the nation forward by themselves. At some point, there must be genuine cooperation.

With Iraq fading in the rear-view mirror, going forward together toward the light doesn't sound like such a bad idea.