Tet

1. Become obsessed with operational, rather than strategic, objectives.
2. Oversell progress.
3. Create an opening for a shocking strike which cannot be geographically contained.
4. Lie to the public, and yourselves, about how well events are unfolding.

Need more?

A Short Primer on How to lose a television War.

I don't think I can add much to the article, except that the recent move to arrest Sadr indicates that the US has, indeed, fallen into the trap of being an occupier with an unlimited duration of occupation.