why do you conclude that a defeat would win them anymore votes than a drawn out fight for victory...is the war unpopular because the war isn’t going well or because they aren’t fighting hard enough. There isn’t a single poll that will draw either conclusion.
I don't "conclude" anything except this: if nothing changes in Iraq, the GOP is going to be wiped out in 2008. Hillary - or Obama, or whoever the Dems nominate - will be president and the Dems will have huge majorities in Congress.
And with the Dems in power, they might be able to rig things so the GOP never comes back. For example, an immigration bill that allows tens of millions of Mexicans and Central Americans to register as voters. Goodbye, Republican fortunes in the American Southwest.