"War is messy."

[Jonathan Lighter]

Not the first adjective that might come to mind, but one used by SecDef
Hagel before Congress just now.

I've encountered this expression so many times as to regard it as a cliche'.

Earliest:

1968 _U.S. News & World Report_ [GB, not confirmed]: This from Dr. Wilbur
Schramm, Director of the Institute for Communication Research at Stanford
University: "War is messy. If people don't know it, they should. Television
is showing war as outmoded as a means of national policy."

The appearance in one little snippet of "hawk," "credibility gap," "domino
theory," and "good grief!" tells me the date is likely correct.

JL
--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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