Step 1: Get the politicians out of the running-the-war business and let the generals run the war. In the long run, their plan will save more lives than whatever it is the politicians think best keeps them in office wins the war.
Step 2: See Step 1.
Step 1 was abandoned after we won WWII. Only Pres. Reagan was smart enough to win the Cold War without firing a shot.
Let a real General take Dempsey’s job. It was Dempsey, the politician, who agreed to Obama’s fags and lesbians in the military. Dempsey could not lead a rifle squad. It seems almost every time an Army General is shown on TV he is obese as hell. What is going on in this military? What happened to height and weight requirements? What about just personal pride and the ability to quit eating? I damn sure would not follow any man who cannot control himself. I saw the damn Army start to go to hell in 73-74 as the mech infantry Col’s got the promotions. Those damn vehicles riding up and down roads and MSR’s are easy targets for IED’s. The infantry would do better using helicopters and/or their feet.
Obama indeed ended the Iraq war. This now is a war with ISIS, a monster brought to life by Bush's war on Iraq which spawned hatred for the US. Bush's father knew how to fight wars in this area.