There is NO winning in Iraq! We are not in a position to win or lose in Iraq. Iraq long ago ceased being a "war" and became a military occupation. There are 2 options in a military occupation: we leave or annex Iraq. Either way, nobody wins! Not the US Government, not the US taxpayers, not the troops getting their asses shot off over there, and certainly not the Iraqis being ethnically cleansed. Any talk of "victory" in Iraq (along with all the BS about "cut and run") is just rhetoric to take focus off what is really going on. Iraq is going precisely according to their plans. Iraq has never been about victory (or WMD or democracy, or any of the other myriad of reasons we were spoonfed). Ray McGovern said it best at the Downing Street Minutes Meeting in the basement of the Rayburn building: "We went to war in Iraq for the acronym O.I.L. O for oil, I for Israel, and L for Logistics". This "war" has been about looting the American treasury and ensuring American hegemony (read as Empire) from the get-go. They've succeeded beyond their wildest dreams at the first point, and failed miserably at the second. I suggest you watch the film "Iraq for sale". It will explain why we are really "staying the course" and will enfuriate you if you pay taxes in this country.