Yes we have a history of civilian control of the military. And in practice as well as law that primacy of civilian control has held. But that does not mean that the military has not involved itself in the politics of this country.
- In the revolutionary war Washington (and others in the army) were constantly lobbying congress for money, for troops, etc. And the actions of the army were basically left totally to the military.
- In the Civil War you had congressmen who became generals. And you had a general (McClellan) who became the democratic presidential candidate against Lincoln in his re-election.
- In WWII you had MacArthur who made encouraged an exploratory group to propose him as the republican candidate against FDR while he commanded the allies in the South-West pacific.
- In Vietnam you had tons of officers both for (Westmoreland) and against (Hackworth) constantly involving themselves in the political discussion over Vietnam.
At the same time, while the military does not wield a veto over the political branch, they can exert political pressure.
- Kennedy felt that if he did not convince the joint chiefs of the validity of his actions in the bay of pigs, they would order an attack on Cuba forcing the issue. This restricted his options.
- Clinton had to compromise on "don't ask, don't tell" because of push back from the military. And that initial fight left him having to negotiate with the military on issues like Bosnia.
The primacy of the civilian government over the military is critical for our democracy. And we should always be careful when the generals start entering the political sphere. But what is presently happening is not unprecedented. And we are nowhere close to the effect the military has had on the government at other times.
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