General Shinseki is not on our faculty. Every cadet knows this for a fact. Everything you say from this point will have little credibility since you are obviously not a West Pointer.

Bush, for all his faults, understood the limits and responsibilities of the power he wielded as President. The sad fact is that many of our recent Presidents have been more enchanted with what the Powers of the President allowed them to do, then in what the Responsibilities of the Office required them to not do.

No, you’re a liar. No more a ‘West Point Anonymous’ than I am. I’ll give you that I wasn’t clear about ranging the ages of the cadets 6 years ago, or opening it up to all the cadets. But it’s still 16yo by your rules…

‘Many recall how his administration contemptuously, arrogantly and consistently dismissed the advice of military leaders.’ – nonsense. Prove it. You can’t because while it’s ok to speak positively of the commander in chief, it is not allowed to do the opposite.

‘Eric Shinseki..was on the West Point faculty when Bush visited.’ – nonsense. he was not. He was posted there with a ceremonial assignment.

‘Eric Shinseki, who was…forced out as chief of staff for (correctly) predicting anarchy after the invasion…’ – nonsense, his job was to advise on then to implement policy, not try to set it and especially not take his case to the public. The last is why he was dismissed.

The rest of your comment was the usual BDS nonsense, but the point is that you know less about West Point than usual, and far less than someone who is a ‘West Point Anonymous’

Comes back to what I pointed out about shrubnose and the BDS crowd in general. Claiming to be a well-to-do landowner as a measure of success while disparaging merit economics. Claiming to be ‘West Point Anonymous;, then coming up with ignorant nonsense. The sad/tragic/comic need driving you both try for the veneer of experience or inclusion to validate your viewpoints. But not self-disciplined enough to prevent your BDS from giving the game away.

Please check your arithmetic before calling me a “liar.” Twenty-two minus six is not 14. If you don’t believe me, find a third grader you trust to confirm that.

Besides the average age of a firstie (senior) is higher than 22. Some firstied served in Iraq before entering West Point nearly four years ago. Some had already graduated from civilian colleges before entering West Point.

And yes, even if they had been 12, they would really have been precocious. West Point is one of the most difficult colleges in the world to get into. The year that today’s firstied were accepted, it was ranked as the MOST difficult of all schools in America to get into.

I can imagine how desperately you want to deny things that conflict with the way you want to believe, but you need not call me a liar. Just rely on your faith that whatever you believe is true because you believe it your heart. Twenty-two minus six equals twelve. Sure. Why not? Faith is all you really need. Let me enjoy my own faith that the difference is greater than that.

Your passing mention of Shinseki’s presence on the West Point faculty is a meaningless non-sequitur. His only presence at the Academy is the Class of 1951 Chair on Leadership, but he doesn’t actually teach there on a regular basis.

And what crime is there in questioning the media, in understanding bias when you see it? I doubt that any of the cadets are intellectually lazy whether they believe media bias for or against Bush was actually true. Your argument is little more than an ad hominem attack.

Third, try and realize that this essay is a generalization. Of course not everyone will feel this way. To use anecdotal evidence – “a few firsties” – proves absolutely nothing. One person’s opinion of what he saw does not automatically create a general consensus.

Fourth, I invoke Godwin’s Law. Let’s not devolve our arguments into Hitler comparisons, as that only inflames emotion while accomplishing nothing.