Chris Bowers nails it so I'll just quote him:
McCain: Forget Democracy, Do What The Military Says
Elected presidents of the United States and Iraq should just do what the leaders of the American military say they should do. At least, that is what McCain thinks, according to their statement that was released in response to Al-Malaki:
"Barack Obama has said repeatedly that, if elected President, he would summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff and give them a new mission: get all U.S. forces out of Iraq within 16 months, regardless of the conditions on the ground. Today, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, the nation's highest ranking officer, made clear that he believes such an approach could be 'very dangerous.' Admiral Mullen further added that his view is shared by U.S. commanders in Iraq, who are 'adamant about continuing progress, about making decisions based on what's actually happening in the battle space.'"
Neither the head of state of Iraq nor the head of state of the United States should tell the American military what to do in Iraq. Also, the people of American and the people of Iraq also should not have a say. At least the McCain campaign is clear on what they think should determine U.S. policy in Iraq: military dictatorship.
It took the McCain campaign roughly 36 hours to come up with any response to Al-Malaki. In the end, they seem to have decided to play the military dictatorship card. Almost as much as I have ever wanted anything in this campaign, I would love it if the Obama campaign would responds with a statement making it clear that the civilian, democratically elected governments of both countries determine military policy, not military commanders. The conservative demand that we should all just do whatever the military says has gone unchecked long enough.
Of course Bowers misses a key dimension: Bush and McCain only listen to generals who slavishly mouth White House talking points.
Otherwise Gen. Eric Shinseki would still be the Army Chief of Staff - he was forced out after telling Congress "something in the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" would probably be required for post-war Iraq.
And Adm. William Fallon would still be head of Centcomm - he was forced out after Esquire "described him as the only thing standing between the Bush Administration and war with Iran."
The reality is that Bush and McCain don't listen to independent thinking from generals - they appoint the ones who say exactly what they are told to say.
Retired generals and admirals were used as props in the propaganda campaign to sell Bush's invasion. Now active-duty generals and admirals are being used as props in the propaganda campaign for a permanent occupation.
