I would call on the experience and expertise of whoever in my own military, intelligence, and political ranks I most trusted and had confidence in, based on prior experience. I would bear their advice in mind, use my own judgement as best I could, and try to make the best decisions accordingly. Those decisions would depend on the particular situation involved.

LH is Bush and Blair not doing this? Because Bush and Blair come across as airheads does not mean their advisors are.

Where would your military advisors and military personnel get their experience from,would you be using soldiers who have no combat experience. Considering you do not advocate war you would presumably have a country with no combat experience. Would you feel comfortable in using military advisors from allies who have such experience?

Is it rational for a leader to gas its citizens,I think Saddam based on that fits into the irrational category above,but there is our difference in opinion.

Your example of Japan taking the war to America is the perfect your dammed if you do/don't example. FDR was applying sanctions to Japan, America far out weighed Japans might but still they attacked. The point is there is no real logic in war, what people think they would not do is the very thing that happens. History is full of such example's from Troy who would have thought of soldiers being in the horse? up to the colonies taking on mighty England and Napoleon fighting the half of Europe. Should we not learn from this?