a series of catastrophes ending in . . . ?

From today's Washington Post:

Rumsfeld obliquely acknowledged mistakes and setbacks in Iraq, quoting the French statesman Georges Clemenceau as calling all wars "a series of catastrophes that results in victory."

So, war must always result in victory? How about the idea that often in war both sides are losers? How about war as "a series of catastrophes ending in catastrophe"? Ever hear of Vietnam?

What kind of Defense Secretary would admit that the war he has managed has been "a series of catastrophes" unless that characterization came in the course of a resignation speech? "My administration, although choreographing a series of catastrophes, has produced a war that is a booming success. You're doing a heck of a job, Rummy!" [And here the Secretary gives himself a nice pat on the back with a prosthetic arm designed for just such a purpose].