I'm one of those people, but not because of any potential loss of face or bad press that might result for a Democrat. An army in disengagement is very vulnerable, the enemy is emboldened, your defensive posture is weakened and your ability to counterattack crippled. Most of your heavy equipment has been already pulled out or abandoned and you are dealing with the massive logistic problem of moving a lot of people and gear out so they are concentrated and have no room to maneuver. You get weaker as you withdraw and your opponent gets stronger. If anything is to go wrong, this is the time.

The end in Vietnam was not this bad because there was an organized resistance by the S Vietnamese which, although quickly unraveling, gave time for the palefaces to make their escape. The situation in Iraq is now so chaotic that the best we can hope for is widespread internecine fighting to cover our retreat.

I would hate to see any President, of either party, caught in this sort of squeeze, and of course, it is a terrible position to see your own troops put in. On the other hand, The longer it is delayed, the worse the situation gets and the greater the potential of something going wrong. It would be a noble and selfless thing to do if Mr Bush, once convinced of the pointlessness of his cause, used his remaining time in office to organize a disciplined and orderly disengagement to spare his successor and the nation this trauma. Perhaps withdrawal by air to desert bases where our infantry could be extracted without having to fight their way out of Baghdad is the way to do this. I don't know, but I'm sure the military has contingency plans.

There would be cries of "treason" from the Right and jeering "I told you so" from the Left, but in the long term, history would see it as a brave and selfless act, comparable to Robert E Lee's Appomatox, sacrificing his reputation for the good of the country and its troops. In spite of my disagreements with the Bush policy, I personally believe he is capable of this sort of patriotic sacrifice, although I have sincere doubts about his entourage.