For the most part, I agree with your analysis of the TV news media. That said, I'm not on board with the idea that "'Doing a solid job' and 'being a television media advisor on military issues' are mutually exclusive." Of the "media advisors on military issues" I know, most do a solid job of providing cogent analysis. Some are partisan (on both sides), but that doesn't mean they're not passionate, insightful, and able to effectively communicate the needs and views of their respective constituencies within the military community. Some, like Ralph Peters, are just crazy and incompetent. I'd name a couple of good ones, but will recuse myself instead since I work in the field.
The problem (and we could probably agree on this) is that even the good military guests are constrained by the fact that they have to transform complex topics on which they're well-versed into sound bites easily digestible by a flaky public within a four-minute segment. But again, that's the media's fault--not the guest's.
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