Yet more on Rummy and the Generals

Should have picked this up earlier ... just getting caught up on some reading.

ZenPundit:

"The United States is not Turkey, Guatemala or Pakistan. Uniformed soldiers in this country - and these generals are eligible to be recalled to duty - do not get to pick their civilian chiefs; they do not get so much as a veto. That remains the sole perogative of the President of the United States and the upper house of the legislative branch and no other."

And don't forget, some of these generals may be unhappy that Rumsfeld was/is pushing for massive transformation of the military, often taking away "toys" (read big systems and big expenditures) which can also upset politicians who want the related jobs in their districts.

Yet more : some links to others arguments
Note that these tend to be to the right of me (on most matters) but seem to bolster my thinking on this topic.

Maybe the best is:
The Generals' Dangerous Whispers:
"The civilian leadership of the Pentagon is decided on Election Day, not by the secret whispering of generals."

The American Spectator: "Generals Behaving Badly"

"...it's important to keep in mind that those who retire from active duty as generals are career military officers who -- if they attended one of the military academies, as many did -- have been insulated from the private sector since the age of 18. Moreover, most are accustomed to getting almost whatever they want, when they want it, since the day they pinned on colonel.

What this all boils down to is that retired generals are typically not the citizen-soldiers of The Greatest Generation lore, the youths lionized by Tom Brokaw for answering the nation's call and then returning "home to lead ordinary lives." These are highly skilled power brokers who, having chosen a life of service, went on to reach the pinnacle of an enormous and daunting bureaucracy."

Discussion on Tom's (Barnett) blog here :
Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog: Tom (and Mark) on the generals who are speaking out

Then I found this, comments section appears to have some that served under Zinni
Austin Bay Blog : UPDATED: The Marine Sends (and the subject is GEN Zinni)
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