Actually, the armchair generals to whom I was referring (as was Mr. O'Donnell) are all the yammering-head idiots, self-sanctifying pundits, rubber-stamp political 'operatives', and their annoying ilk that so cretinously clutter up the so-called news programs every time you press the channel-change button on your lifestyle-enhancement device of choice.

For the record, the lanky Mr. Lincoln (while he may well have been holy hell on haberdashers and shoe salesmen) despite his own lack of direct military experience did do a worthy job of exercising leadership and oversight of his camp-chair generals while serving as commander-in-chief -- with, as has been duly noted, the assistance though not always the support of an unusually broad spectrum of advisers and cabinet members.

And I also do espouse the notion that "war is not the answer." Don't even have to call a lifeline or look it up on The Google to know that one, nosirree Bob. Instead, as Thomas Mann so aptly phrased it, "War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace."

And in yr hmbl crspndnt's opinion, those who are too cowardly to pursue the cause of peace while still being too craven to serve in the cause of war have absolutely *no* business insisting that others should have to do so in their place.

Just my $.02, of course. YMMV.