About that civilian control thing

The mere thought of GOP candidate Herman Cain opining on military matters is laughable. But never mind. On Afghanistan, the Pizza Guy recently said, “The surge was working. Why not let it continue to work? The president didn't listen to his experts, his generals. That would be the difference between a Herman Cain and a President Obama, is that I will listen to my experts.” Other Republicans have said or implied much the same. What would have happened if FDR had "listened" to his generals in 1942? They were bitterly opposed to Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. To them, "North Africa was a defeatist sideshow, a diversion, a peck at the periphery," Rick Atkinson wrote in his Pulitzer-prize winning book, "An Army at Dawn." But seeing the bigger geo-strategic picture, FDR overruled his generals. The decision would prove key to defeating the Nazis. Who knows how long WWII might have dragged on (or even lost) had FDR heeded his expert advice. Just something to bear in mind as Republicans push this silly narrative.