So part of our challenge is reconciling these two seemingly irreconcilable truths -- that war is sometimes necessary, and war is at some level an expression of human feelings.

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It might not be enough to convince some nations - the Russians and the French in particular - that the war is necessary.

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Obviously, there are times when war is tragically necessary.

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Of course, you may enjoy the book more if you share Buckley's political faith (an elegantly consistent conservatism extending back to the origins of the Cold War), but it is not necessary that you do so.

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Mr Obama will be incandescent if Israel provokes a war which he has said is not yet necessary, and on the eve of an election.

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War may at times be necessary, but it is always destructive.

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Is it necessary, for example, to refer to the work on battle fatigued second-world-war soldiers, in order to explain the despair of the castaways?

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But I do believe there are times in history when our ideas are more necessary and more important and critical, and this is one of those times when we are facing war and danger.

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"We would never put politics ahead of what our commanders say is necessary to do the job and keep our soldiers as safe as possible when they're prosecuting this war, " Ryan said.

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