"We can't have a failure in Iraq, but we also can't be there for the next 10 years because if we are, it's going to become, I think, a failure in and of itself"

This quote by Dennis Ross recommends that the United States can not stay in Iraq for the next 10 years. Ross believes that if the United States remains in Iraq for too long, it will end up being a failure in and of itself. This suggests that the United States needs to discover a way to leave Iraq without it being viewed as a failure. Ross is recommending that the US needs to find a method to leave Iraq in a way that is seen as a success, or a minimum of not a failure. This might be done by helping Iraq end up being a stable and thriving nation, or by assisting Iraq transition to a brand-new federal government. Ross is recommending that the United States needs to find a way to leave Iraq without it being viewed as a failure, and that remaining in Iraq for too long might lead to a failure in and of itself.