You'll notice lately that US troop casualties have been falling while Iraqi casualties have been rising. This is because our troops have been retreating to fewer, larger bases, performing fewer daily patrols, and patrol in more heavily armored convoys

I love it when handing over the responsibility of patrolling Iraq to the Iraqis becomes "retreating". This is the problem. In your view, there is nothing that can be done right by the military or the administration. If US troop casualty levels stayed the same, you'd be wringing your hands saying "when will they be able to defend themselves?" Since they are defending themselves, you say we are retreating. It's easy to Monday Morning quarterback this situation. Just listen to CNN and transcribe their comments to /.
Why dontcha take a ride with the "retreating" troops one day and see what life is like outside the burbs?
Lemme know if you want a view other than that offered by ANY of the media, I can probably get you a seat on the plane. Reply to me here, and I'll see what we can do. We'll leave Jan 3rd. We'll be back sometime in '08.
Or just sit on your smug ass and proclaim your vast knowledge behind the veil of anonymity the net offers.