So what? Ike thought we would wrap things up in Europe quickly in the Winter of 1944-5. He never saw the Germans' Ardenne Offensive, and the resulting Battle of the Bulge coming. There was a massive new bloodletting just as it seemed victory was in our grasp.
Shit happens. This is war. The insurgents are tougher than we expected. So we redouble our efforts and do what it takes to prevail. We have no choice. This is a war we cannot afford to lose. I am very pleased that Bush came out with his "party of cut and run" in response to this sniveling, inconsequential book. It was a very appropriate counterpunch.
Your post was very pertinent. The war critics somehow believe that war is something that can be planned to a certitude of expectations. Like some football fan criticizing his team because the coach didn't see some surprise put in by the opponents. No war can be planned with a high degree of certitude. Fighting these savages will take a lot more effort in the long run than defeating our enemies in WWII. The Japanese and German peoples are inherently civilized and adapted well to democracy. The peoples we are dealing with do not because their religion allows them or encourages them not to be civilized.