Regardless if victory is declared or not, getting the U.S. to leave is the problem. The current setting is the U.S. will not leave without this nebulous "victory", but once Bush has his "victory" the U.S. won't be leaving either.
As you say, Russia and China are likely to be content with letting the U.S. drive itself into the ground by remaining in Iraq. Europe (France and Britain) can go along with extending the U.N. mandate and still gain the benefit of a U.S. ruining itself.
Regardless of a "victory" moment, the U.S. isn't leaving Iraq.
You know what I'm really afraid of? A scenario in which the US becomes a serial killer of states, causing state failure one country at a time. Failed states don't compete for resources, and the US is safe in North America with two shining seas to protect it from spillover.
It is very easy to bomb a country to the stone age and move on. And another. And another. And on and on. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
