Deafened by the sound of my earphones playing "Billie Jean" on perpetual repeat, I didn't hear until today about the (totally overshadowed and unreported) death of Robert McNamara: Vietnam warmonger, killer of millions and (depending on how you see things) the star of the superb documentary The Fog Of War.
I wasn't alive or American during the Vietnam War, so that documentary was the first time I really encountered McNamara. By the end of the film I didn't know whether to hate him or admire him... so I decided the best I could do was to learn from him. The notion of Proportional Response (if your enemy shoots your tank, it's best not to A-bomb his capital) is one I've had to employ a couple too many time in my career.