I'm sitting in Sherman's hometown (Lancaster Ohio) right now. We have plenty of different testaments here in town to that Sherman's philosophy in war. I think what the politicos are trying to avoid is WWIII. And as Einstein said, "I do not know with what weapons WWIII will be fought with, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones." Or perhaps you prefer Baron Jomini: "The means of war are approaching perfection with frightening rapidity." Don't get me wrong: I agree with you: total war now; peace later. But, at least our current leaders aren't spouting Cold War bulldung about "Domino Theories" and the like: Reagan demonstrated that superiority (of mind, of law, of culture)will, over time, assert itself. And it will do so, in this situation, as well. At least they're thinking about the "after the war" phase, 'cause just like there's always another war, there's also always a postwar phase, and we don't want to repeat Versailles in 1919.
Here's a funny, from my website,
www.contemporaryinsanity.org
enjoy. Good point; but I am afraid of Robert McNamara-type "incrementalism", "gradualism" and "increasing the pain". It doesn't work with savages; they will try to show you just how much more pain they can take. Eliminate them and they will feel no pain and have none to brag about to their sympathisers in the Muslim world. What will work best with them is the Taliban's total eradication from an Earth which they have proven themselves unfit to share.