The statement is true.

Simply modify the phrase “photo op” to read “interview op” and you get the idea.

For example, I personally believe that Michell Obama is probably a pretty good person, so skewering her in print might not be justified in a magazine like Rolling Stone. However, you can be certain that if a journalist were to write an article that was highly critical of her, the journalist is not likely to receive an invitation to the White House again.

What I find sad about the current McChrystal situation is that the general probably is right: The government bureaucrat in question was trying to protect his own skin. The hubris of many in Washington is hard for us to comprehend.

Further, and I may be wrong about the details, the comparisons to MacArthur and Truman are not quite accurate. As I recall, MacArthur disobeyed Truman and took military action that violated civilian policy in Korea. In the current situation, I know of know evidence that McChrystal disobeyed the President. The general merely made the mistake of making public comments critical of a very thin-skinned administration. That–not disobedience of instructions from the Commander-in-Chief–was McChrystal’s sin.