Follow the examples of H. Truman, L. Johnson, and G. Bush. Fight with limitations. Fight with a wary eye out for the world political stage. Fight with rules of engagement. Fight with concern for winning the "hearts and minds" of the people in the countries involved.

Then..... LOSE!

In any fight, whether it's a kid against the neighborhood bully or two superpowers attempting conquest of each other, the choices are the same. Destroy your opponent and his will to keep fighting, or walk away.

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat the lessons. This is a truth that mankind has known throughout it's existance. The only way to end a war successfully is to bring events to a point where the consequences of continuing the struggle are too terrible to risk.

This is the lesson learned, too late, by Napoleon, when he opted for the negotiation of peace, instead of the destruction of Vienna, and again after victories at Austerlitz and Jena. The royalists of Europe rose once more to march on the Republc of France after they had time to heal their wounds.

This is the lesson taught by U.S. Grant and W.T. Sherman to General Robert E. Lee, as he contemplated the utter destruction of his armies and his people.

This is the lesson learned and then forgotten by Harry Truman when he chose to inflict unimaginable horrors on Japan to bring the war to a conclusion. This lesson was forgotten when he was unwilling to bring the same force to bear on North Korea. That war has never ended, only paused, giving the North Koreans the opportunity to plan and organize the next phase of their relentless desire for conquest.

We learned from the Vietnam debacle that once again, a "limited" war does nothing but kill people without end or resolution. We also learned that even a welcome foreign power can overstay that same welcome.

War is horror. It is the horror of broken, torn, dismembered, burned, and crushed bodies of men, women, and children. It is the misery of disease and starvation. It is the destruction of homes and businesses. It is the destruction of a way of life for the victims. War is the elevation of honor for some and the loss of honor for most. At its foundaton is the struggle for survival, one group to live, and one group to die.

The only way this country will ever be able exist in peace is to make sure the world knows that war with the United States too terrible to be considered as an option. War is Hell. That's what makes it something to be avoided.

There is an "Out of the Box" solution to the situation in Iraq. It is being debated quietly in some inner circles even now. This solution needs more support.

Our troops entered Iraq with a military mission. This mission, the overthrow of Sadam and the destruction of his forces has been accomplished. Now, our troops must get out of the conqueror mode. The idea now has to be a process of reducing the Iraqi's desire to fight.

Our forces can not continue to rule from behind the walls of Sadam's old palaces. They have to disperse, into the cities and vilages. They should rent homes in neighborhoods and pay well thus discouraging attack. They should do business with the shopkeepers in a friendly fashion and walk the neighborhoods like cops on a beat. They should have a budget for well placed bribes. This is the way a large part of the world does business, we need to get over it. They should apologize and pay well when the wrong person is injured or killed. Civilian casualties should receive the same level and speed of care as our military.

The capture or disposal of insurgents should be done quickly and as quietly as possible with no more massive incursions into cities and towns. In all circumstances, our forces should work to de-escalate a situation instead of responding with massive force.

This is, of course, not all of the possibilities, but enough to illustrate the point. We will never be their friends, but our forces can behave in a manner that doesn't create more Iraqi desire to fight. No more prisoner abuse, no more feet on necks.

Make sure that it is the insurgent activities that cause problems and anger the population. If the locals don't want them stopped, they will never be stopped.