Provocative post from Josh Marshall about criticism:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014677.php

Thinking back over the blather last week over Sen. Reid's (D-NV) comments about Gen. Pace, it's quite astonishing that the White House could with a straight face attack Reid for questioning Pace's competence only day's after they'd fired him. Think about that. The White House fires Pace as part of its many-month effort to sack everyone from the Rumsfeld era at the Pentagon. And Reid is in hot water for questioning the man's abilities?

But setting aside abilities, politicians can criticize generals. That is after all the very nature of our political system. And it is a symptom of the deeply decayed and desperate state of the Iraq War debate that this is even a question. We are now far past the point of supporting the troops in their mission, ensuring that they are properly armed and protected, or anything else tied to respecting and honoring the overwhelmingly very young men and women who are paying with risk to their lives for the decisions we collectively make here at home.

Now apparently even criticism of the policy/strategy level command in Washington (this is after all what the JCS are) is beyond the pale, a sign of denigration of the military itself.

We can say whatever we want about double standards, that Sen. McCain (R-AZ) said even more to the face of the then-actual commander of American forces in Iraq (Gen. Casey) not long ago. But that's just a partisan distraction.

The real issue here is shaking ourselves loose from the degradation of our own civic and republican collective character that the war has brought us. Some principles are clear and worth repeating: You can't have a war for democracy fought by people whose principles are authoritarian and anti-democratic. It's not a throwaway line or a barb. It's the only pivot around which to understand the Bush years.

more...

If General Pace is so fucking perfect why would bush fire him and then tony snowjob whine about someone's criticism of the man? They fired the extremely competent General Shinseki when he told bush how to succeed with his plans to attack Iraq. I read that on DU last week. DU on the cutting edge of weeding through right wing trash (real fast.)

;)
I have read stories here only to see them repeated on other sites; that's the nature of this internet stuff. At least it seems we can get to the truth through this medium, unlike others.

in a confirmation hearing.

So, they didn't really admit to firing him for incompetency. NOT a good ambassador for the Corps at all.

" . . . politicians can criticize generals. That is after all the very nature of our political system."

political system." I just wish some 'journalist' would call Tony and the WH on this point.

It is quite impossible to conduct any sort of coherent discussion with those folk -- because they will quite deliberately play games like this that reduce all conversation to gibbering nonsense. And they smirk at anyone who falls into the trap.