Bob Jones just posted in part:
There is no graceful way to walk away from that. Now we worry more about our grace, and our honor. This is one where need to just swallow our pride and walk away. The reasons we use to justify why we must stay were never accurate, so there is no reason we should allow them to hold us there any longer.
How to extricate ourselves is clearly on the political agenda and Bob is right that creating a message to explain this is causing agony in the "corridors of power". After over a decade of "the mission is to confront AQ and ensure Afghanistan is not used as a base to launch attacks from", how do our politicians explain to the domestic electorate, those who gave support (including the nations who have left ISAF already) and those who have watched without commitment?

Just to remind readers "the mission" explained remains the same, here is the UK Defence Secretary a few days ago:
The ultimate measure of success must be the extent to which we can leave Afghanistan in a state that will continue to deny its territory to international terrorists.....Even if we had achieved nothing lasting, every year that goes by keeping the bombers at bay, keeping them off our streets, is a significant achievement in itself. But we have clearly built the basics of a future that will deny the space of Afghanistan to those who would seek to harm us.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...fore-2014.html

First step I would argue is being truthful to oneself. Time to ditch "the mission is".

There is no popular support now for "staying the course" and so supporting the Karzai / Kabul regime. Boredom, expense, deaths and injuries all have a part at home.