Actually, the reason you offer as to why a US politician can't just pull out of Iraq is flawed. The real reason is because it would leave Iraqi oil to the most powerful military that stayed behind in the region - Turkey in the North, Iran to the East and perhaps Syria to the West. Once you understand that, it becomes clear that there ain't never gonna be a withdrawal, coz "our oil" is gonna become "their oil".

Scenarios? There's a good chance that the US military withdraws (after a couple more years of bleeding) to Kurdistan, thus maintaining an easy air & especially ground strike capability in the region which it'll use to try and maintain its grip on the hydrocarbons.

Regarding your "positive approach" to American politics and wanting to see the glass as being half full rather than half empty, I can only sympathize. But it's sorta like that guy who's fallen off the Empire State building - he gets to the 70th floor & thinks "so far so good...I'm still alive" down to the 50th & he thinks "so far so good..." down to the 10th...

The major problem of the US political system is its incestuous relationship with business. Business => media => candidates that get the marketing they need to be elected. Obvious. In practice, that means that if you're not with the Boeings, with the Chevrons, with the big business elites, you are never going to make it anywhere near real political power. Big business on the other hand is really not interested in issues like the environment, dead Iraqis, increasing minimum wage or starting to finance social security benefits for those who are about to start retiring. So you've got a situation which is analogous to over-fishing. The boats are just going to keep plundering the seas until there's nothing left to plunder. Same with the big business concerns: they're just going to keep financing those candidates who will promote their narrow, short-term interests.

Solution? It's about building a second power base. Grassroots fundraising, recruiting, campaigning, communicating. Identifying and enlisting those with money (lots of it) who don't necessarily have the same "narrow" interests as the Boeings & the Chevrons. What comes to mind? Biotech & medical - which is an interesting one because they're loaded with cash and they also have a direct stake in financing a comfortable retirement of millions of Americans who are about to... be deprived of one. Other sources of funds: most green businesses - although not yet cash heavy, they have a clear incentive to push through clean air & environment legislation and they need grassroots political support. We could go on with this brainstorming, but first: is there an interested audience?