I have a great deal of respect for Gen. Shelton and always have. As a "mustang" officer (one who started from lowly private and didn't start out as an officer), he has lived the life and performed all the roles from top to bottom. The academy-spawned officer corp remains elitist, and is the military's equivalent of east-coast ivory tower privileged fraternity snobs. 

That is not to say that Shelton gets a pass for suspending his moral compass. But he is more qualified to comment on and critique leadership and the command structure than almost anyone else.