By the end of 2008, clearly the Al Qaeda and Sunni insurgency had been relatively stabilized. And in the Al Qaeda's mind, they were defeated.
In the middle of a recession no tax increase is justified because it kills jobs, and any tax increase is a job-killing measure and should be defeated.
The prudence of the best heads is often defeated by the tenderness of the best hearts.
In order to get re-elected, Obama told us Al Qaeda was on the run and all but defeated.
In Vietnam, we took a hill and defeated the enemy; then we retreated and let the enemy take over.
The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did, but with their faith they defeated a superpower.
The victors in great wars have always been spiritually defeated by the conquered.