Today’s hearings on Afghanistan for the Senate Armed Services Committee were a somewhat depressing affair for the long-time committee members, who recall a time when the American public would hang on their every word about the military conquest.

13 years in, Americans just aren’t that into the war anymore, and the Senate hawks who fill this panel think that’s a real shame, because they reckon the decades of war to come are when they’re really going to start seeing some progress.

Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D – MI) was looking for someone to blame, and as is often the case, it was the media. Levin insisted the media should be hyping the “positive” aspects of the endless war right now, and was “depriving the American people of the sense of accomplishment.”

Gen. Joseph Dunford said he believes the US is “winning” the war after 13 years, but that it would quickly lose if troops were withdrawn. The upcoming troop deal, which Dunford was confident would be signed, would keep the occupation going through 2024 and beyond.