Civilian > military

I get really tired of hearing members of Congress hide behind military commanders when it comes to taking responsibility for what happens in Iraq. In a recent interview, Representative Mark Kennedy kept repeating that we must "listen to the commanders in the field." First, on any number of occasions, this administration has not done that when it would be inconvenient (e.g. sending more troops). Second, deferring to field commanders respects their expertise and experience, but there's a reason our commander in chief is an elected civilian.