This brings to the fore the main problem of the politics of military engagements - who speaks for the troops?In principle the troops on the ground are the ones who know the score. But in principle democracy depends on having a military which does not interject itself into politics.
How are we to square that circle? The leftist answer is that it doesn't matter what military people think - at least, not when those military people disagree with them. IMHO the conservative answer has to be to ask, "How is recruitment doing?" If the military are frustrated and demoralized in Iraq, the grapevine will transmit that fact to society and will suppress enlistments - to say nothing of reenlistments.
“But in principle democracy depends on having a military which does not interject itself into politics.”
True, but I don`t think he was trying to argue the politics of whether or not we should have gone into Iraq. I think he was just giving his military opinion on how the surge was working out.
But what is "politics"? Speaking on factual subjects is probably not politics in that sense. Supporting particular candidates surely is, and supporting particular courses of action may or may not be.