[Gene Eric]

It’s been a while since I read the The Art of War. But what I best recall is the tactic of never fully constraining one’s enemy; so to avoid his greatest effort for survival.

Our “leaders” are idiots.

[Olog-hai]

There is also this about civilian leaders:

If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler's bidding.

— X:23

The current civilian leadership has purged generals and admirals who think and plan according to this admonition; IOW, generals and admirals who put the country first and not the political leadership.

[FreedomStar3028]

It’s like: Ender’s game. The buggers gave us no choice. So we genocided them. Or Independence Day: We had no where to go, we were screwed, so we genocided them.