Several pundits with a military background have been advocating a much stronger response to the ISIS situation than Obama has proposed, some are advocating boots on the ground. When these pundits speak on television or write an op-ed, they are identified by their former title, e.g., "former general", "retired admiral". The credit just about never refers to their current occupation.
The Nation fills in the current occupations of two frequent speakers, retired generals Anthony Zinni and Jack Keane. Neither of them is starving, as their compensation from defense companies is pretty good. Keane was paid $258,006 by General Dynamics and that's only one of his sources of income. He is also a "special adviser to Academi, the contractor formerly known as Blackwater; a board member to tank and aircraft manufacturer General Dynamics; a venture partner to SCP Partners, an investment firm that partners with defense contractors, including an “operations management decision support system” company used in Air Force drone training and as president of his own consulting firm, GSI LLC." Zinni has a similar background.
The question is: are these former generals pushing a stronger response because they are really employees of defense companies who make their money by eliciting fear in the populace so that the Pentagon can spend still more money on weapons.
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