The numbers on the ground will surge before going down again, and with the objective of going down even further from that point. The goal is to reduce numbers by a such and such date, so between now and then if there is a period where the numbers on the ground are increased, so what? Sometimes you have to take one step back to move a thousand paces forward but sometimes the opposite is true as well. You have to take a step forward to slowly back out.
Also, the government in Iraq hasn't failed. I know it's not where we all want it to be, but failure comes with premature withdrawal or a complete collapse. The thing is, now there may actually be a plan that may work in Iraq, the replacement of US forces with Iraqi forces - which took a HUGE step back when the Iraqi Army was dissolved entirely, the one thing I believe was the single most biggest mistake during the entire operation there. It's going to take time. This isn't MTV where you get your satisfaction in under four minutes and anything clocking at five minutes seems tedious. Right now the operation is to BUILD A COUNTRY. That's hard enough to do even with no one shooting at you. People fail to realize what an ambitious goal that is. I believe most of the enemies encountered now are actually territorial tribes who are very much like gangs, also there is Al Qaeda and the Iran factor.
A complete loss here would be a HUGE victory for Iran which right now it seems has hands everywhere all over the middle east. You know what that means? In a few years, our guys have to come back to fight an even tougher opponent under worse conditions.
I understand that the reasons for going in could have been questionable (then again there's a good explanation that does not involve WMDs or terrorism that it was the right decision, I'd explain it if the politics forum opens again or if you want, through private message) but right now the situation is that an absolute defeat is unacceptable for all.
Any sort of defeat, especially the ones that make it look like it was easy for the enemy, empowers our enemies. People in fact fail to realize how much the 1993 pullout of Rangers and SF in Somalia empowered Al Qaeda and other enemies of America.
This naysaying really has to stop. No one wants to be in there. I bet George W Bush goes to bed wishing he never did, but the truth of the fact is there is a conflict there and it has to be won.
You may not understand this mmarsh but right war or wrong war, the war needs to be won or else the next time a right war rolls along, it's going to be MUCH harder to win.