Sebastian Holsclaw laments Kerry repeatedly stressing bringing the troops home from Iraq:

When your policy goals are in the 'bring the troops home' vein instead of a 'we need to change X in the Middle East' vein (or at least 'X in Iraq') you aren't taking the War on Terrorism seriously. Bringing the troops home will be a side effect of a successful long-term Middle East policy. It is a stupid goal in and of itself.

Yes...it reminds me of something I heard Tony Blankley of the Washington Times say in an appearance on C-SPAN not long ago. He basically asked why one of the most pressing considerations in modern military engagements, at least in the press, tends to be having an exit strategy.

How are we going to get out? When are we going to get out? What's our exit strategy?

He said there needs to be caution, deliberation, and serious debate before going to war, but that once you've decided to do so, you shouldn't be talking about an exit strategy...you should be talking about a victory strategy. Figure out what it's going to take you to win (or how to determine if you've lost). Once you've figured that out, the answer of when to leave becomes obvious: When the job's done.