They were winning, in the same way the NVA did -- controlling the countryside, and waiting us out.
What sux about this timing is it takes away McCrisis' palpable suggestion to carpet-bomb, er, asset air superiority over the bastards.
How did that approach work out for us in Nam?
The bottom line is, to win a war, you need boots on the ground, but those boots have to be given carte blanche to prosecute the war in a manner that brings victory, or as Patton said, "Make the other poor son of bitch die for his country."