We were succeeding. When you looked at specifics, this became a war of attrition. We were winning.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
We won the war, but we are losing the occupation and reconstruction of Iraq. It is past time for a new approach, one that relies on accountability, responsibility, and phasing down the scope of our military commitment.
We invaded Iraq to change a totalitarian, despotic regime, and we have been successful there.
Winning the Revolutionary War, or the Civil War, or World War II were the turning points in our history, the sine qua non of our forward progress.
The wars we fought were forced upon us. Thanks to the Israel Defense Forces, we won them all, but we did not win the greatest victory that we aspired to: release from the need to win victories.
Before the surge started, frankly, after I left Iraq towards the end of 2006, I was worried that we were losing the war. But after the surge, I felt that we succeeded.
It is true we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them. We don't want victories anymore.
War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory.
Militarily, we succeeded in Vietnam. We won every engagement we were involved in out there.
War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory.
I believe our inability to achieve victory stems mainly from having lost sight as a nation of what it means to win.