Have we ever experienced this in US military history?

Just watched the President's press conference announcing that US forces will remain engaged in combat in Afghanistan.  The question and answer is playing in the background while I'm typing this up.

Question.  Have we ever experienced this in US military history?  Have we ever had a battle plan for more than a DECADE, not seen significant progress and instead of stopping, reassessing, firing those that promoted the failed battle plan and figuring out a better way...the Pentagon instead tells the public and policy makers that this will take a long time and the public and policy makers accept that as ok?

I'm not a writing genius at the best of times but this has me spinning so I hope you can get what I'm trying to say.

We're failing, no one is being held responsible for that failure and we're in for more of the same and no is calling bullshit on this!

What kills me even more is the fact that all the military think tanks, military blogs and even members of the military family accept this as the way its suppose to be!

Here's the bad news people.  We're not accomplishing a thing in the Middle East.  Afghanistan is a shit hole just like Iraq and there is nothing we can do to change it.  I'm not saying pullout...IF THERE ARE REAL REASONS TO REMAIN THEN SO BE IT!  But we need a better plan than this bullshit "stay the course fuckery".