In an article titled “Sycophant Savior,” Boston University professor Andrew J. Bacevich argues that Gen. David Petraeus “indulges in the politics of accommodation that is Washington’s bread and butter.”

A political general in the mold of Washington or Grant would have taken a different course, using his moment in the spotlight not to minimize consternation but to stir it up to the maximum extent. He would have capitalized on his status as man of the hour to oblige civilian leaders, both in Congress and in the executive branch, to do what they have not done since the Iraq War began—namely, their jobs. He would have insisted upon the president and the Congress making decisions that wartime summons them—and not military commanders—to make. Instead, Petraeus issued everyone a pass.

UPDATE: ABC’s Political Punch points out that given their penchant for selective moral outrage, conservative lawmakers are unlikely to condemn Bacevich, “a Vietnam veteran and self-described “Catholic conservative,” whose son First Lt. Andrew Bacevich was killed in Iraq in May — as… [they] did with MoveOn.org after that liberal group’s “General Betray Us” ad.

This entry was is filed under Body Shots. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.