Here are some more suggestions for metrics...

- Number of destroyed buildings; this correlates well with victory in Germany in WWII

- Number of resettlement camps built - didn't that work in the Philippines or Malaysia?

- Number of US forces on the ground- after all, a surge of forces in Iraq was followed by an abrupt change in the situation.

So long as we ignore the unique challenges of the specific mission, dreaming up easy answers is effortless. I still say my touchdown metric is the best, however.