Shakespere wrote in "Julius Ceasar" "Cry havoc! and let slip the dogs of war!" In the past we have tried to resolve differences through diplomacy (We negotiated for months with Japan before Pearl Harbor). Once diplomacy failed, we recalled our diplomats and appointed our Generals diplomats in their stead UNTIL THE CONFLICT WAS OVER! The treaty with Japan was written by General Douglas MacArthur (with help from diplomats, but subject to his approval) and submitted to the President for approval. Out General/Diplomats were given ONE instruction..... obtain unconditional surrender! MAKE the other side sue for peace, on OUR terms! Somewhere after 1945, we lost the formula for complete victory. We sent teams of diplomats to negotiate with the Chinese Communists during Korea (maybe that was it, our first conflict that had THAT august body involved) We sent Kissenger to Paris during Viet Nam, We negotiated a "cease fire" with Saddam Hussein that took us twelve years to get around to enforcing! You want to know why our enemies are emboldened? They know that they wont NEED a "Marshall Plan" to get back on their feet again if they lose! We have lost the will to see our troops inflict a "Dresden Firestorm" on the Ruhr Vally, We wring our hands over collateral damage, so we don't use Arclight saturation carpet-bombing anymore! Clinton signed a treaty to do away with stockpiles of "chemical weapons" that included "Fuel/Air Explosives" and ordered the destruction of our stockpiles of napalm! You want to clear out caves in Afghanistan? drop napalm over the mouths for hours, days even, and after the fires go out send in some boy scouts to see what's left! no one will fight back after all the oxygen has been sucked out of the caves for 6-8 hours! Instead, we negotiate with people who will not negotiate in good faith (N.Korea and Nuclear non-proliferation; Iran and the same issue; Palestine and the right of Isreal to exist; Iraq and disarmament) they all will negotiate to see what WE will give up, but when the time comes for them to match our step towards them with a step towards us, they instead step back, demanding more concessions! Why shouldn't they feel confident, it will cost more than just the lives of our servicemen and women to repair our credibility as a force not to be F*&Ked with!
