"I fought in one war with "broad political and economic goals"--I hate seeing anyone fighting an another. If a war is to be fought, it should be fought[. Forget the prosecutions for second guessing the troops, pat them on the back and go on. You receive fire from a ville, flatten it and go on. Eventually (and not too far along) the residents will decide what their preferences really are adn proceed accordingly."

The enemy is not only those who fight you, but anyone who gives them aid. The scorched earth policy assures that they have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and anyone who helps them is dead. That is war. What is currently going on in Iraq is political correctness. The enemy has to submit and unconditionaly surrender b4 it will end. Then is when the rebuilding should start - not while the war is still being fought.