The Elephant-in-the living-room that no-one mentions and eveyone
pretends not to see is the underlying purpose of the iraq war . The
REAL definition of victory-- is the
establishment united states hegemony over the petroleum resources of
iraq and the establishment and maintenance of a permanent military
presence which would/will preserve that hegemony for the foreseeable
future. Until this goal is realized there will be no withdrawal of
troops so long as the petroleum is there.

This is why "stay the course", "finish the job", "victory" and similar
ambiguities are used to obscure the real goals of the occupation. The
iraqis cannot be allowed "sovereignty" or indeed any government which
might or could diminish U.S. Control of the oil. Meanwhile, the u.S.
Public is regaled with visions of "democracy", "standing down when they
stand up", all for the purpose of concealing the real purpose of the
occupation.
Until the politicians come to grips with this, there can be no "end" to
the "war" in Iraq.