Islamists view the West as decadent, cowardly, and weak. I doubt that is how they view the United States Military, but it is a good description of Congress. The Democrats and a growing number of Republicans want to declare defeat in Iraq. At the moment, the surge has al-Qeada on the run, so Democrats need to force a pull out soon, before the US wins. They would find it intolerable for Bush to leave office on the wings of victory.