Fighting the wrong war

A couple of months ago, US forces stormed Samarra in an effort to drive out the Iraqi resistance. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have worked. The resistance, it seems, have read their Mao:

When guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances; harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws.

The same thing is going to happen in Fallujah. The US will take the city at the cost of several hundred civilian lives, but the resistance will simply go to ground. Then, when the US forces relax or turn their attention elsewhere, they will pop back up again to cause more trouble.

The US military have read their Mao too, and have been on the receiving end of these tactics in Vietnam. But despite this, they have failed to learn the lesson. The only way to defeat this sort of guerilla movement without committing widespread atrocities (which would be ironic given their claimed status as "liberators" of Iraq) is to win the battle for hearts and minds. Unfortunately, the US seems to be ignoring that battle (or else doing everything in their power to lose it). They are fighting the wrong war - is it any wonder that they seem to be losing?