U.S. still plans to "Shock and Awe"

Shock and Awe is still the intended strategy for destroying Iraq: 3,000 bombs will be dropped in 48 hours, stunning Saddam into surrender. The flaw in the plan seems to be the assumption that Saddam gives a damn about civilian casualties. Of which there will be plenty. "We can't forget that war is inherently violent," says Gen. Richard Myers. "People are going to die. As hard as we try to limit civilian casualties, it will occur. We need to condition people that that is war. People get the idea this is going to be antiseptic. Well, it's not going to be." To see just how antiseptic, read the 1996 booklet Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance, written by Gulf War I veterans, which includes sections on "Massive Bombardment," "Blitzkrieg," and "Overwhelming Force."