Could the question/concern have been transmitted on a piece of paper to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld? We are at war.
The answer to that is probably yes. Let's assume for a moment that the reporter didn't feed the question and the enlisted man asks it on his own, does this violate the chain of command?
We are at war and Rummy showing up in a war zone and asking for feedback wasn't exactly the best move. I love Rummy and think he is doing a fantastic job. However, saying that, he opened himself up to this and knowing that some reporter will probably try this, still let it happen.