The author acknowledges that the violence should stop, but admits that a retreat might have dire consequences.
In his essay, "Not a Dove, But No Longer a Hawk" (1966), New York Times correspondent Neil Sheehan told of his experiences viewing the war close up from 1962 to 1966. His years in Vietnam brought him to realize that Americans were defending a government that did not deserve to be defended, one that was unable to win support from its own people or meet the needs of its people. He wrote: “Our responsibility for prolonging what is essentially a civil conflict may be one of the major reasons for the considerable amount of confusion, guilt and soul-searching among Americans over the Vietnam war.” Civilians in Vietnam were not being helped by the war; the war was increasing devastation for them. But at the same time, if the United States pulled out of the war abruptly, that could cause still more harm to the civilian population. American needed to bring an end to the war in a way that would be the least harmful to the people of Vietnam.
"Wheels" refers to the wheels of the car beginning to turn as Milo thinks. It also refers to the "wheels" of Milo's mind turning after not doing much thinking for a long time.
