I half overheard a surprisingly decent NPR report the other day which dealt with the issue of what's appropriate for "former generals" to do. While the piece was a bit slanted on the side of "clap louder for tinkerbell" it at least did manage to mention the point that lots of former generals and similar are on the cable networks cheering on the war, so anyone who criticizes former generals speaking up is essentially saying they can only express their opinions in one direction. In addition, while this point wasn't (IIRC) made explicitly, it essentially makes the whole "former general as cable news commentator" position a farcical one at odds with any claimed journalistic pretension, as they're only on if they support current policy.
And that point has just been proven.
