Reply #39: Please, don't twist my words. I'm not advocating "launching rocket attacks" against civilians...

[individual rights]

But there is no way to wage a successful "sanitized" war. War is just too violently unpredictable. The reason the Constitution requires Congress to declare war is to ensure that it is not taken so lightly. Regrettably, Congress has ceded that power to the Executive and as a result, the CIC is free to initiate wars at the drop of a hat.

I believe that the US should move very slowly and deliberatively when the question of war is on the table. However, once the die is cast, the objective should be to win as quickly and decisively as possible. Unfortunately, that type strategy will result in civilian casualties. Remember, tens of thousands of European and Japanese civilians were killed in WWII, but like I said before, when it was over it was over.