I was thinking today about the common wisdom on the Democrats, Republicans, and their thoughts on the war. The Democrats are often attacked for not having a vision, new ideas, etc, but I would argue that the position they are coming from is innately more complicated. It's always east to start a war and it's always very hard to end one.
Think about it. Going to war, for all it's complications, is a simple decision. You line up the troops, and you point them in the direction they need to go. Political fallout, casultaies, etc, are all messy, but the decision process that leads to them is simple. Declaring a war provides the illusion of authority, decisiveness, and leadership because of this.
On the other hand, trying to pull back from war is far more complicated. To simply say you want to bring the troops home isn't enough. The logistics of it are complex and there are numerous ramifications you have to account for. Setting a deadline for withdrawl is meaningless because conditions on the ground can change in the mean time.
Everybody favors pulling the troops out eventually, but it's a much more complex decision to figure out exactly when and how. Even the hardest of the hard core war supporters for the Republicans who say we have to stay in there and get the job done don't see this as an infinitely long commitment either. The thing is, it becomes simple for them to just say we need to "get the job done" without needing to specify what "the job" is or how it can be done.
Simplicity makes for strong politics but it makes for terrible government.