Carl,

What you have mentioned is what the average American would love to hear - declare a victory and quit.

However, from the strategy point of view, why did the US go into Iraq and also Afghanistan?

The answer lies in the Defence Policy Guidelines and the National Energy policy of the US mentored by Dick Cheney, when he was the Secretary of Defence. They were masterpieces giving the new strategic scenario post Cold War and the US priorities.

I don't have the copies of the same since my hard disk crashed with all that.

IIRC, he had stated that the US has to have their presence in areas which were hotspots in the world so that the US could react fast and in the correct timeframe, which was not feasible given the location of the US troops at that time.

He also mentioned that the oil supply lines and areas had to have US control and US had to deny the same to 'adversaries'.

He also mentioned that there should be forces at sea to undertake immediate expeditionary actions and on which other forces could build upon.

Iraq panned out copybook to this theory of Cheney.

The US being still in Iraq and in Afghanistan, is pushing and containing the Russian underbelly. It is also peeking into China and the Uyghurs.

Leave Afghanistan and you leave it to the Russian and Chinese.