As a prior diarist has pointed out, we Democrats are in a bind because Americans are so disinclined to accept defeat. Voters want to be winners, and voting for something regarding Iraq that can be characterized -- or even mischaracterized -- as a defect is hard to accept. That is why Democrats should exert message discipline to rename the situation in Iraq an occupation. Occupations are neither won nor lost. Ending them always sounds good.
Helping us to frame the situation in Iraq as an occupation is the situation in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, there is an actual war. The Taliban constitute a definable enemy with the definable goal of getting back into power.
In Iraq, by contrast, there is a large amalgam of forces large and small, Sunni and Shiite, religious and nationalist that undercut security and oppose either the U.S.-led occupation or the current Iraqi government or both. Hoping stupidity might be contagious, the Bush Administration would have us think that "The Terrorists" are the opponents in Iraq. But there is no one group called "The Terrorists". There is no one from whom we can collect a surrender.