I’m not going to retweet Malcolm Nance because he’s a laughable grifter. But these views are unfortunately widely held by a certain set of veterans and civilians alike and they are deeply troubling. 
It’s also a pretty sad commentary on the mediocrity of many “expert” pundits who regularly appear on cable news on the basis of a job they once held and a willingness to say whatever flatters viewers’ sensibilities — as opposed to having something knowledgeable to say.
Also, taking a step back, whenever I hear folks say that we need more of vets, businessmen, nurses, scientists, teachers, etc. in DC, I’m usually willing to say, sure. But merely having one of these jobs doesn’t guarantee wisdom, talent, empathy, or ethics.
What we need are people who have those things — not valorized versions of particular professions whose members can be good, bad, or mediocre. It’s good to have people with personal experience but those experiences aren’t a complete proxy for the skills leaders need.
My favorite example of the foolishness of assuming otherwise is Lincoln, who was initially felt incapable of overruling his generals due to his lack of military experience -- only to discover that he had what none of them did: an understanding of how to win the war.
Lincoln, of course, served in the Black Hawk War as a militiaman in Illinois. But he felt that his military experience was more fit for self-deprecation and modesty than any claim to moral superiority or unquestionable expertise. It had little direct relevance to the Civil War.
In fact, he mocked the idea that his service made him an expert on anything in and of itself. (Imagine that, in an era where many veterans -- regardless of their qualifications -- are treated as experts on everything from Russian espionage to Islam to the Chinese politics.)
I would love to see someone, whether veteran or civilian, approach their experience with the humility and humor he brought to public life. As he put it in a speech in Congress in 1848 describing his time in the Black Hawk War:
"By the way Mr Speaker, did you know that I am a military hero? Yes sir, in the days of the Black Hawk War I fought, bled and came away... I was not at Stillman's defeat, but I was about as near it as Cass was Hull's surrender and like him, I saw the place very soon afterwards...
"...If he saw any live, fighting Indians, it was more than I did; but I had a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes, and although I never fainted from the loss of blood, I can truly say I was often very hungry."
Lincoln's scant military experience doesn't mean he wasn't qualified to serve as Commander-in-Chief or set military strategy or fire war heroes. The one had very little to do with the other, as he discovered to the nation's everlasting benefit.
