Able Quote by Norman Schwarzkopf
“Generals aren't in the business of commenting on the correctness or incorrectness of the President's decisions. Anybody who thinks he should be able to do that ought to be fired on the spot.”
About This Quote
Military leaders should not publicly critique a president’s decisions; doing so warrants immediate dismissal
In simple terms: Generals must stay silent on presidential choices
Key Takeaway
Maintain apolitical military stance
Themes
politics
military ethics
authority
Mood
serious
tense
Type
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- public statements
- policy debates
- media interviews
Key Concepts
civil‑military relations
leadership accountability
Questions to Reflect On
- Should military leaders speak out on policy?
- How to balance loyalty and truth?
A Different Perspective
Suppressing dissent can hide legitimate concerns
![“We all know why [the generals] are so critical of the defense secretary. They're being defensive because they weren't able to implement his brilliant plan [on screen: Operation 'Greet Us As Liberators']. It was so simple: Go in with 100,000 troops, topple the regime, everybody loves us, and we…” quote by Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/787/stephen-colbert-503_able_we-all-know-why-the-generals-are-so-crit_2812898.jpg)
