Declare defeat?!?
What are you talking about. Months before this war began I stated clearly and emphatically that this war would be over before it even began - that Iraq's military was simply no match for American military power. How does one "declare defeat" over that?
The question is whether or not the Bush administration grossly exaggerated its claims about Iraq's so-called weapons of mass destruction. If it did, there will be political consequences.
We are still in the afterglow of a marvelously conducted military exercise that toppled a despised two-bit dictator. As the euphoria dissipates, however, questions about the integrity of our intelligence and our exaggerated claims will linger on and perhaps loom larger amid the political noise.