Retired Colonel Daniel Davis argues the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran was oversold to the president and is now producing deadly mistakes — bad news for the military's credibility and for civilians on the ground.

• No amount of bombing can destroy mountain bunkers; the U.S. can hit surface targets and beat air defenses, but that won't force a country the size of Western Europe to surrender.
• The U.S. does not have enough ammunition to carpet-bomb a country that large, and military leaders should have told the president that instead of cheering the plan on.
• Once the order was given, commanders were obligated to follow U.S. and international laws of war — yet an early strike hit a long-established girls' school.
• Opening strikes are normally the most carefully checked, with satellite and drone confirmation; the fact that a school was hit so early raises serious questions about targeting.
• As the campaign moves into later rounds, targets get less research and the odds of more civilian mistakes go up.

Outlook: Expect more pressure on military leadership over faulty targeting and growing doubts that bombing alone can achieve the campaign's goals.