not my commander in chief

De facto President George W. Bush isn't my commander in chief, and he isn't yours either -- unless you are a uniformed member of the Armed Forces or a member of a National Guard unit that has been federalized. Historian Garry Wills points out this fact in an interesting essay in the New York Times.

Wills also points out that the "tradition" of Presidents exchanging salutes with military personnel only dates back to Reagan. Dwight Eisenhower knew the salute was for the uniform, and as President didn't get into that. But as Wills points out, our society and government have grown more militarized since 1941 - and these are symptoms.