Today, war of necessity is used by critics of military action to describe unavoidable response to an attack like that on Pearl Harbor that led to our prompt, official declaration of war, while they characterize as unwise wars of choice the wars in Korea, Vietnam and the current war in Iraq.

Another book on language was The New Language of Politics (1968) which developed into what Zimmer called Safire's "magnum opus" Safire's Political Dictionary. Life and career
Safire was born William Lewis Safir in New York City New York the son of Ida (née Panish) and Oliver Craus Safir. His family was Jewish and originated in Romania on his father's side.

William Lewis Safire (/ˈsæfaɪər/; December 17 1929 – September 27 2009) was an American author columnist journalist and presidential speechwriter.