That's one perspective.
Clausewitz disagree. He thought war was politics by other means. If so, then utterly destroying an enemy is certainly not always the best strategy.
Clausewitz was a pseudointellectual. Anyone thinking war is nothing but a political animal loses wars. War is brutal.
We didn’t nuke Japan for political policy reasons as Clausewitz might try to explain. We did it to cause unconditional surrender. It worked.
Clausewitz would have approved of the way we fought Vietnam; Hearts and Minds.
“War is Hell.” General Sherman. <-— That guy got it right.