Sorry to bring this up a day late, but your response here reminds me of something John Adams is reputed to have said during debate of the Declaration of Independence (and if it isn't true it should be since it captures both the common sense and the volcanic nature of the man!) One delegate was objecting to a disparaging reference to Parliament, asserting that it was unwise to offend that august body, especially since they were claiming it had no authority over the colonies anyway. Adams response was "It's a war, damn it, we've got to offend somebody!"
Thank you for remembering the quote and making me feel very honored by the comparison, even if it was incidental. Do you have any idea where I might read more about that? It would be interesting to see more of that discussion, what record there is of it.