[xzins]

This analysis of Officer Efficiency Reports is exactly on the money.

In fact, it finally got so bad that the Army and Air Force have come up with entirely new rating systems that absolutely prevent "rating inflation."

Each commander can now have no more than 50% of his ratees receive his highest rating.

In the past, commanders said such laudatory things about EVERYONE that if they ever said less about anyone that that person was dead in the water. If Kerry managed only 6 of 16 "highest" ratings, then he would NEVER have made Lieutenant or Lieutenant Commander....and we want him to be commander in chief....NOT!!

[Airborne Longhorn]

Army O-3 veteran here (70-76; USAREUR and ASA)...

Fully, totally concur with this assessment. Inflation was a raging bonfire in these years...

[MEG33]

Have you heard John O'Neill?

[pepsionice]

Having worked around navy enlisted folks...I can say that evaluations were usually kept very level or borderline. Either you were just doing a good job, you were a heck of a performer...or you just weren't meant to be in the navy. To write Kerry that many negative points...they were simply telling him not to stay in or make it a career. I've worked around officers without a lick of common sense and they constantly required NCOs to run the daily operation. The officers simply attended the commanders staff meetings and dished out the commanders guidance. Based on these naval evaluations...I would guess that he isn't really the CEO type or president type. He would have to heavily count on his VP and cabinet to run the real affairs of the country. He'd be...for all practical purposes....a trophy president. We've had those before and muddled through four years....and we could get by again with such a loser...but would we want to do that while in Baghdad? Thats the question.