Alyssa,
I believe the military hierarchical construct engenders groupthink. Perhaps the military strategic leaders should have gotten together for some counter groupthink in an attempted to persuade the neo-conservative administration that the military leaders were unified in their concerns over the proposed plans. Perhaps a more unified military would have had more influence. In hind sight, GEN Shinseki should have also been praised for his courage when he provided a realistic estimate for the number of troops that would be needed to secure the peace in Iraq. Providing constructive, yet unpopular, recommendations or insights, as a senior leader, can and should be better recognized as a form of personal courage. In fact we should always seek
I believe the military hierarchical construct engenders groupthink. Perhaps the military strategic leaders should have gotten together for some counter groupthink in an attempted to persuade the neo-conservative administration that the military leaders were unified in their concerns over the proposed plans. Perhaps a more unified military would have had more influence. In hind sight, GEN Shinseki should have also been praised for his courage when he provided a realistic estimate for the number of troops that would be needed to secure the peace in Iraq. Providing constructive, yet unpopular, recommendations or insights, as a senior leader, can and should be better recognized as a form of personal courage. In fact we should always seek