Pulling out of Iraq is not a loss

The reason for the Iraq invasion was never really about successfully installing a democratic government in Iraq. It was about removing a threat, and demonstrating to the next generation of islamists that we are willing to preemptively invade and occupy to prevent strikes against our homeland.

Reason magazine, Stratfor, and Andrew Sullivan seem to accept the notion that our goal, however noble it may have been, of orchestrating a western style democracy in Iraq has failed. We should hold the elections, pull the troops to the outskirts of Iraq while the inevitable civil war takes place, and figure out the next move in the global battle against the islamo-fascists.