Petraeus today: Inappropriate [View All]

[LuckyTheDog]

Has it occurred to anyone else that Bush is using David Petraeus in a very inappropriate way?

He is a general, not a political appointee. Petraeus' role is to advise the president behind closed doors and to follow orders. Period.

Petraeus has no business advocating for the president on Capitol Hill or doing anything related to influencing policy. Petraeus should limit his remarks to discussion of the tactical situation. Anything else is a matter of policy, which is under the control of civilians.

Questions about the strategic goals of the Iraqi occupation and other policy issues should be handled by the secretary of defense or the president himself.

Whatever one thinks about the Iraqi occupation or Petraeus, one thing is clear: Civilians are now and always should be the ones setting policy. Generals should stay out of it, except in private, with the president. It is inappropriate for a career military officer to become a public advocate for policy or to seek to influence the debate in Congress or in the public arena. The generals should leave politics to others.