no country has ever benefited from a protracted war.

those blind to the dangers inherent in using force are equally unable to see the advantageous ways to do so.

those adept in waging war need no second summoning of reserves nor more than one provisioning.
—sunzi, chapter 2

the worst policy is to attack cities.
—sunzi, chapter 3

a victorious army wins before seeking battle; an army that fights in the hope of winning is destined to defeat.
—sunzi, chapter 4

those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.
—sunzi, chapter 6

make no mistake: g w bush's speeches are not about fighting terrorists; they are about november and about expanding the power of his office.

yesterday he surrounded himself with a military audience that he could count on to cheer and clap at triumphalist rhetoric to stir the patriotic hearts of tv viewers to keep his GOP majority in congress.

the speech alternated between chest-thumping and back-patting, giving the assembled brass ample opportunity to pat themselves on the back with him thru their applause. bluff, bluster, and bravado were heightened by extending to terrorists his penchant for diversionary nicknames—tho in the official text he didn't quite call them "islamofascists" again—and citing their rhetoric as proof that we must "stay the course" in iraq.

how intriguing that we "knew" saddam was lying yet we must take bin laden's words seriously—and both to justify the same war.

treat captives well and care for them.
—sunzi, chapter 2

today he shifted emphasis and tried to terrify what's left of his base into bullying congress to let him torture prisoners and bring them to trial in his new form of court which the defendants can be kept out of for the first time in 200 years.

and all so he can get another chance to get a rubberstamp congress to enhance and safeguard the riches of his corporate buddies thru tort "reform," deregulation, and tax cuts, and to hack away at what's left of the new deal and fulfil his prophecy of a social security crisis by creating private accounts that bankrupt the trust fund.