That and the fundamental question that drives national politics: have the soldiers died in vain? It's a question of exaggerated fears, of moral obligations.
To use a dangerous phrase, 'failure is not an option.'
In a sense, it almost doesn't matter if the mission is succeeding or not.
I don't envy Bush, Blair, Obama, etc. It requires extraordinary strength to speak to the mother of a dead soldier, or a soldier who has lost his limbs, and tell him that the failure of a mission has been realized and there is a need to withdraw.
P.S. I don't believe anyone dies in vain. Soldiers die with a sense of mission and bravery. The value of their death isn't hinged on the policy-makers in Washington or London. Nor is it valued by sending more soldiers.
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