I realize that your comment was deeply tongue in cheek, but unfortunately it is still very stupid in spite of that fact. The commander is referring to the fact that when a fire fight breaks out, you don't have any choice but to return fire. If you are a civilian, and you don't head for cover ASAP; or if you are an attacker using a mosque as cover, you get what you deserve.

The U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Japan after Truman was shown an estimate of 1.25 million american casualties in a convential invasion and conquest of Japan. If the Iraqis were by some stretch of fate capable of inflicting such casualties, I would nuke away, but of course the United States is in no danger of suffering more than a few thousand casualties in Iraq.

This may be a war of liberation, but it's still a war and people should remember that fact. I guess the learning curve is steeper for some people than it is for others