Phase One Of The Withdrawal?

Pentagon Considers Moving Troops From al-Anbar Province to Baghdad:

The region is a Sunni stronghold and the main base of operations for al Qaeda in Iraq and has been a place of increasing frustration to U.S. commanders.

In a recent intelligence assessment, top Marine in al-Anbar, Col. Peter Devlin, concluded that without a massive infusement of more troops, the battle in al-Anbar is unwinnable.

In the memo, first reported by the Washington Post, Devlin writes, "Despite the success of the December elections, nearly all government institutions from the village to provincial levels have disintegrated or have been thoroughly corrupted and infiltrated by al Qaeda in Iraq." ...

"If we are not going to do a better job doing what we are doing out [in al-Anbar], what's the point of having them out there?" said a senior military official.

Such a "tactical" retreat would be interepreted as a major loss for US forces, if not an actual win for Al Quaeda (if you believe the terrrrsts control al-Anbar, not ordinary Iraqi insurgents). US citizens had better get used to such things.