In 1776 George Washington was faced with a dilemma. If he kept his troops on Long Island and the British continued to attack he could lose the entire army. He chose to retreat and pull his troops into New York. Later he had to decide whether to defend New York or pull out and save the army. He chose to pull the army out of New York rather than have it destroyed. In both cases the American army had spent thousands of man hours and dollars in building defenses.
There were several members of the continental army and congress who criticized Washington for cutting and running. If he had listened to his critics he would have stayed in new York and lost the revolution. Instead he kept his army together, won the battle of Trenton and later won the war of independence.
The point is, if we stay in Iraq we are not guaranteed victory and in fact it might bring about our defeat. There is a difference between staying in a war that might bring victory and staying in one that will ensure defeat.
Was Washington a Cut and Runner?