But the General does not possess a first class mind.

The principal question, of course, is whether our leaders, civil or military, need the benefit of a first class mind in order to render the service that the nation needs, and deserves, from them.

As I use the term, a first class mind is able to see over the walls that locally surround it, at least as dictated by the nominal roles that are assigned to it. In the case of a military man, then, a first class mind would empower him to view accurately situations usually thought of as "civilian" matters. Thus, where Milley falls off his horse, in my view, are situations that test the range of his understanding of civil affairs. Obviously he has a first class military mind, but indications are that he rapidly gets into waters quite over his head when required to view, say, current political goings-on.

He's had a lot to say this long Labor Day weekend, in remarks given this weekend to Fox news, and also at the military base at Ramstein, Germany.

What I found quite useful, even revelatory, were the remarks that comprise Wikipedia's article on the General. Despite multiple references to the history of The Third Reich, Milley seems not to grasp the political affiliations of the major players in American politics. So, regarding Biden's Inauguration following the January 6th violence at the Capitol, Milley assures his listeners that "We’re going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren’t getting in."

In the presence of a highly visible slow-motion bloodless Communist (if you must, read that as "Democratic National Committee") coup, Milley places the enemy behind the wrong gate. He misunderstands the Reichstag fire by citing it as the model for the January 6th non-Insurrection at the Capitol. A first class mind, to my way of thinking, would be exceedingly cautious of historical missteps of this magnitude. It would be fair to ask of the General "just who are the "Nazis" of which you spoke? His comments on the likelihood of Presidnet Trump resisting a peaceful transition of power similarly betray a large cranial washout in the vicinity of Milley's onboard historical machinery.