The term “spasm war” is now almost standard jargon in military and government circles and, to some degree, in journalism as well. I believe the expression originated in briefings I gave some years ago in which some war-plan proposals were referred to as “orgiastic spasms of destruction.” During one of these briefings, I said to the audience, “You people do not have a war plan. You have a ‘war-gasm.’ ” These expressions were put forward with no particular reference to their sexual implications, but some of my colleagues, more conversant with Freudian concepts and literature than I, argue that the term “spasm war” is more accurate and descriptive than one might like to think. The point is, in any event, outside the scope of this discussion.