realize that this war is a lot older than Bush's administration.

I'm not aware any country has threatened the US. Has there been an invasion of the West or the East coast? Has there been a desire to occupy the US???

Sorry, but invading Iraq by using exactly the same methods as invading a country in order to remove an occupant (when in this case, there were none), has only made things worse when the actual issue is terrorism.
Terrorism is not about what goes on inside other countries, it's above all a matter of domestic security.

The US should wage "war against terrorism" AT HOME and NOT ABROAD.
This, BTW, is why "war against terrorism" is not a good definition.
And also, a situation where there can't be any victory. Because the other side is not a government, a country with which a formal way to end the conflict can be signed.
Perhaps, a clever move would first to change the definition of this conflict, and then withdraw from Iraq (as it will appear the US wouldn't have lost a war because it really wasn't a war in the first place).