OP is a moron and has never served. All flag grade officers are political animals and they will reflect the politics of whichever president put forth their name for flag rank. My bet is every one of these retired officers got flag rank under Slick Willy and OBozo.
Gross generalizations tend to be well, gross. Of course "politics" permeates just about all aspects of professional life, military or civilian, but Presidents take no part in initial Flag/General Officer promotions, but yes some, (like Colin Powell for instance) are annointed. As to the last statement, lots of truth there. LOTS
Becoming an army general is a combination of well-defined steps and competitiveness at each level1. Here are the steps:
Become an Officer: All generals start out their careers at the most junior officer rank1. To become an officer requires a four-year college degree and receiving a commission through one of the officer commissioning sources such as a military academy, ROTC scholarship, or Officer Candidate School1.
Annual Evaluations: Every officer receives performance evaluations from their superior officers at least once a year1. The jobs and assignments an officer goes through along with how well those jobs were accomplished as shown on the evaluations determines how far they will be able to move up the rank and career ladder1.
Systematic Promotion Ladder: For the ranks of O-1 through O-6, the promotion system runs on a set timetable and what an officer needs to do to reach the next rank is fairly standardized1. Any officer who does a good job for the military should reach the O-5 rank and be able to stay in the service for the 20 years needed to draw a retirement check1.
O-7 Selection and Appointment: The O-7 through O-10 level are the four general officer ranks1. Officers who want a promotion to general will be reviewed by a general officer specific promotion board where the competition to get a star is very high and only the most qualified O-6 candidates will be chosen1. The board considers both the officer’s career leadership results and the needs of the service for general officers for specific positions1. From the promotion board recommendations, the President of the U.S. nominates an officer for promotion to the next star, and then the U.S. Senate must confirm the nomination1.
https://www.military-ranks.org/army/promotion-to-general#:~:text=At%20the%20recommendation%20of%20the%20Secretary%20of%20the,approved%20or%20disapproved%20by%20the%20United%20States%20Senate.
A General is a General Officer in the United States Army at DoD paygrade O-10. This page describes how the Army determines who is eligible for the promotion list to General.
As with Lieutenant Generals, the rank of full General is tied to the positions in which officers holding the rank serve, making it ostensibly a temporary position but in most cases a terminal one.
At the recommendation of the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of Defense, the Commander-in-Chief nominates general officers, who meet the requirements of performance and time in service, for appointment to the rank of General.
Such nominations are then approved or disapproved by the United States Senate. Those approved see the candidate officers receive the rank and title of General upon confirmation, in which position they serve until they leave the position that required the rank or retire from service in the US Army.
