There was nothing in WWII where, if a particular tactic was not carried out on time, or failed, that the result was abandoning the war. If D-Day had failed, something else would have been tried.

We are not fighting armies. We are fighting insurgencies, and every civilian in Afghanistan knows that the Taliban and al Qaeda will not be leaving on a timetable. If the Americans declare they are, you tell me what the results will be on the ground. Hint: not any kind of "awakening."

Everybody hopes a war will be over in as short a time as possible. No serious commander declares that he will begin to leave an active battlefield on a given date. This concept, as I said, was invented by politicians.

Obama used to say "listen to the generals."