Too many chiefs?

An interesting examination, and indictment, of the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff can be found in the Ideas section of today's Boston Globe, or online at Boston.com.

Andrew J. Bacevich, a Boston University professor whose son died in Iraq earlier this year, writes that too often -- as in the case of the current JCS chair, Gen. Peter Pace -- the top military advisors serve as "yes men" to the president, and that this has been the case since the inception of the JCS 60 years ago.

Bacevich writes that when a charismatic JCS chair is in place, such as Colin Powell was, that he starts to develop too much power and becomes an obstacle for a president, and as a result colorless officers who fear speaking out are selected. The JCS should be abolished, Bacevich concludes.