"Smart bombs' were introduced with much fanfare by the US military during the first Gulf War to allay fears about the political consequences of repeating Vietnam-style "carpet bombing". The bombs dropped by the US Air Force, CNN told the world, were so smart that they could find and destroy military installations without causing massive civilian casualties. Like smart bombs, 'smart" drugs are supposed to act selectively on particular targets; they are part of a new era of medical treatment, an era characterized by less invasive and less expensive surgery and other "targeted" strategies.