Early Warning’s William Arkin discusses the complicated - and potentially problematic - role that retired Army generals play as paid consultants and analysts for major television networks to comment on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:

The larger problem is the role these general play, not just on TV but in American society. In our modern era, not-so-old soldiers neither die nor fade away — they become board members and corporate icons and consultants, on TV and elsewhere, and even among this group of generally straight-shooters, there is a strong reluctance to say anything that would jeopardize their consulting gigs or positions on corporate boards.