To assume admirals or generals weren’t politically placed is like believing in flying carpets and unicorns.
A former battalion commander of mine was promoted to full bird shortly after his command was over. He was proud of his promotion, and he said it's the last officer rank achieved on merit. Getting to the general ranks is all about politics.
That's not to say that all stars are achieved via politics, but I understood his comments.
We have way too many general and admiral billets based on our current force structure. It's time to cull those ranks.