This general doesn’t mention Trump, but his tweets speak volumes

“I never think it’s appropriate for senior military leaders to publicly and personally criticize the president, as he is the elected leader of the country,” General Dempsey said in a telephone interview from North Carolina, where he teaches at Duke University.

He does, however, cut some slack for other retired military leaders, like Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Adm. William McRaven, who have made criticisms that “can be informative.”

“But,” General Dempsey said, “that should not become the ‘new normal.’”

Even if he doesn’t take on the president by name, any of the general’s followers would be hard pressed not to contrast his steady counsel with the pronouncements of the man in the White House.