Lessons from the Art of War

Sun Tzu, in his seminal treatise the Art of War written in the 6th century BC, offers advise that rings true today as much as it has through the centuries. Perhaps our current political leadership would take heed of such matters with respect to the "war on terror" and the quagmire in Iraq.
"When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.
Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain."
"There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare."
"In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns."
"Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril."

For those who wish to read for themselves the timeless advise of Sun Tzu in matters of war:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War

Woe to those who fail to learn the lessons of the past on these matters, and suffer the consequences of such ignorance.