You're right. If he said this and believes it (as he must), and we act on it, we are done. The War may as well be declared "over". The Middle East is "gone", and probably Europe with it.
If we are at that juncture, it is time to remove and save our resources, pull our troops out immediately and bring them back into Fortress America - where we can start prepping for the Final Battle, which will inevitably take place on our own soil and among our own beleaguered people.
Maybe the enemy will be merciful to us and kill us last?
I wouldn't frame it like that. The truth is that the President doesn't have the political power right now to wage a war against anyone. There is a significant public perception that Iraq is slipping out of control - while overstated, it would be immature to not recognize at least some validity to it.
The last election amounted to a vote of no confidence in the president, much of it based on the war. The truth is, and I said this over a year ago, that public sentiment has been rising against the president for a while, though many on FR insisted on denial and cheeky comments like "looks like no third term for Dubya.'
Now the electorate has rejected the GOP and we're on the outside looking in, and the cheeky comments have stopped.
In any case, I see this as just a political reality - the nation doesn't trust Dubya to wage a war in Iran or Syria. This has been a problem for a while, despite this denial that has been common for over 18 months now.
I wouldn't write off Europe, nor write off possible military action against Iran or Syria. Things have to change, and unfortunately change for the worse. Dubya is handicapped right now, which puts us all in danger Then again, he seemed to have gone out of his way to cultivate an image that has lost public confidence. People get what they deserve.