Archives President's Message A Kinder, Gentler War Storms of protest, attacks on U.S. embassies, and street demonstrations in numerous world capitals following the errant bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The bipartisan confusion on Capitol Hill about the course of the war and the several chaotic, complex, and contradictory votes on legislation variously intended to support the troops but at the same time reign in the administration and prevent the president from sending in ground troops. And, of potentially the greatest long-term importance, the initial rebuff of Russia followed in short order by the warm embrace of that country, itself in turmoil, to serve as what now seems to be the mediator of last resort. Any line item on the preceding bill of particulars might easily be explained. War is chaos, almost by definition.
Mistakes do happen.
Hindsight is always clearer than foresight. A kinder, gentler war is a contradiction in terms and should not even be attempted. Almost all of the nation's armed services also are suffering from shortages of pilots, of technicians, and of maintenance personnel. There are not enough airlift aircraft. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have told Congress that the Navy has a demonstrable, validated, need for 15 aircraft carriers.