Here is a quote from a guy who understood how to conduct war, that you need to crush the other side as quickly as possible (from Tammy Bruce's blog):

Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster. War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen, and I say let us give them all they want.
- William Tecumseh Sherman

Other's have pointed out that this is the Scotch-Irish view, be slow to go to war, but win as quickly as possible when you do.