Quote Originally Posted by Stu-6 View Post
While there is nothing wrong with a president listening to his generals it does not relieve him of his responsibilities. Yes the president is lacking in military experience but to be fair who has experience in commanding a counter-insurance in Iraq, or anything comparable? If the president is not getting the kind of advice he needs from the generals in command it his responsibility to educate himself enough on the subject or at least find better generals.

Lincoln’s military experience was limited to say the least but he managed to take charge and find generals that could do what he thought needed to be done. Think of how different things might have turned out if he had just listened to thoughts first generals (you know the generals he had not the generals he wanted)?

Goldwater-Nichols may have its problems but ever president has had to deal with the legal constrains and flaws of their time.
When you get it you may find out it's not as easy as it looks.

Either to be the Commander in Chief or, given that job, to put the Generals you want where you want them -- Congress has statutorily slammed the door on that option under most circumstances. You might also look at how long it took Lincoln to get the right General in the right place without the laws to preclude him moving them on a whim.

Yes, of course Politicians have to do that. Linclon's solution was to ignore those things that got in his way; far harder to do that nowadays. That sort of begs the fact that Goldwater Nichols has flaws which was my point.

I agree that counter insurance is indeed a a very difficult problem.

Presidents come and go, so do Congresses. The Armed Forces were here before any of the current politicians or you or I were born; even those in Congress that have been there far too long. They'll be here long after we're all gone. You can pursue a political fix to the Prez and Congress and talk about it on a poltical blog somewhere, plenty of them out there.

The issue to me is fixing the flaws in the processes, not who did what to who.