You can keep telling yourself that, but it won't make it true. Both have to do with progress. Benchmarks are used for achieving certain goals, while the timeline in Romney's position would be used to chart progress for a given period of time. They are both talking about the same thing.
Romney sided with the Rats and their timelines because he thought the surge would fail.
He wanted to take both sides on the issue.
Thats why slick Willard is trusted by nobody on any issue.