Tactical error? Responding at length to a charge of possible impropriety doesn't seem too smart to me. However, I'm not in the Consulting business.

'Course I also told my kids "You not only can't do anything that's wrong, you can't do anything that even appears to be wrong..."

McCaffrey Associates' response doesn't seem to address directly the central allegation in the Barstow article: that McCaffrey advised policymakers and in other ways influenced defense policy while simultaneously conducting for-profit business with companies that stood to benefit directly from the policies that would be implemented should his advice be taken. If true, this allegation describes a case-study-grade conflict of interest. Mr. White is right to note that taking this one on at length is probably a tactical error on the part of McCaffrey Associates -- but since they've opened the can of worms, I'd be interested to see them answer the central charge directly, rather than simply emphasizing the uncontested facts of the General's distinguished career and publicly recorded opinions.