Praise the Generals

We are and have been a nation that loves its generals.  Ten of our presidents have served as generals.  England does not feel the same way; only one general, the Duke of Wellington, became Prime Minister in the past 200+ years. 

I suspect that part of the attraction of generals as political candidates is that they are perceived as not politicians, although it's doubtful that many of them would have become generals unless they could master the military bureaucracy.  In 2011 we thought that the military was our most respected public institution. Seventy-eight per cent us professed "a great deal" or "a lot" of confidence in the military, according to a Gallup poll.  And, by and large, our politicians - most of whom have not served in the military - continually praise our warrior class.  (How many times has 'warrior' been used since we dropped the draft?)

Andrew Bacevich does not see Petraeus' fall as being all bad.  Knocking him off the pedestal - this huge standing that he had - ought to create a climate in which serious people can begin to ask serious questions about why our military has not delivered on our expectations" in Iraq and Afghanistan, he says.  He goes on: With Gen Petraeus' public downfall, the American public can begin to grapple with why after 11 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan "we haven't won anything".  The consequences of the myth of "the great heroic general" have been dire, he says. "It's an excuse to not think seriously about war and to avoid examining the actual consequences of wars that we have chosen to engage."