morally superior foreign policies

[William F. Owen]

PS: 120mm - wouldn't quite phrase it as your "Joe Six Pack" example does. But, yes, find, fix and kill our brethren who hit us, say a prayer for their souls, and if they show up dead on TV, OK. Also can see hitting them before they hit us (targeted killing), but that has to be done with great discernment. Laying waste to cities seems extreme (even though I can see an example of that in a retaliatory nuclear strike).

There is something more valid here. If you are going to harm your enemy you should do so, in a way that ensures he never recovers, or cannot recover in a useful amount of time. Yes, pure Nick Machiavelli, and history shows it as being generally true. Better to get 30 years of peace, than 5.