[Twicepop]

I don't see the Generals from WWII as being psychotic in their fervor to win battles in the military theaters they were assigned to. These men knew that the duration of any war is a terrible time for all involved, either directly or indirectly. The object of a war is to inflict as much damage to the enemy in as short a period of time as humanly possible, stop/break their war machine and deter any further military action against your standing military.
General Douglas MacArthur was a brilliant miliary stratigist, who in the latter years of his career let his personel greed and ego get in the way of his military duty. So many of the military commanders from Westmoreland and up through Petraeus have been enlisted in the American Idol military, where they aren't really expected to do as those that came before them, but to look good on the evening "news".
Wars can not be fought in the living rooms of America,(didn't anyone learn anything from VietNam) and won by the court of public opinion. Wars are won by men and women that understand that horrible actions must be met with horrible actions, to get a swift closure to the attrocities, and to put lives back on track as soon as possible.