Quotes of War

I read a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln. I don't know if it is truly his or not. I am a big Civil War buff and I don't remember seeing it before. If it is true it has some resonance today ... "All dreaded it, all sought to avert it, ... And still the war came". Cold say the same for a civil war in Iraq today.

Some good Colin Powell quotes:

• "War should be the politics of last resort. And when we go to war, we should have a purpose that our people understand and support".
• Colin Powell's Pottery Barn rule for Iraq - “You break it, you bought it ... ”

And finally a primer on the Powell Doctrine also known as "Powell Doctrine of Overwhelming Force":

"After the end of Persian Gulf War in 1991, Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, outlined his vision for efficient and decisive military action. His plan is now referred to as the Powell Doctrine, although there is not an actual formal document named as such. Powell, currently the U.S. secretary of state, has recently invoked the Doctrine in articulating the justifications for the Bush administration's preparations for war in Iraq. Essentially, the Doctrine expresses that military action should be used only as a last resort and only if there is a clear risk to national security by the intended target; the force, when used, should be overwhelming and disproportionate to the force used by the enemy; there must be strong support for the campaign by the general public; and there must be a clear exit strategy from the conflict in which the military is engaged".
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