The meaning of the battle

Returning veterans define the meaning of the battle. 

The Civil War, WWI, the Vietnam War and now Rove's folly are each wars where the veterans disavow the enterprise and deem it a waste, whether won or lost. The basis of the generation gap in the sixties was the fact that among the older veterans WWII was a noble war whereas among the younger veterans the Vietnam War was a waste of life and treasure. 

The disconnect in society is between the military leadership and the conscripts. The only thing keeping Rove's folly from collapsing entirely is the conviction of the troops in the field in the rightness of the mission in Iraq.