Well Hilary may know history in the way that Fred Kaplan wants, but will it change her actions? Alcoholics know they have a problem, but still drink. Knowledge may be needed to act properly, but is no guarentee.

Then again, while General Jones may not tolerate freelancing, there is the question of what he can do about it. That is always the question, what leverage does he have? Obama has the ultimate stick, of course. If General Jones doesn't have the backing to reign in rogue cabinet members (whoever they may be), what can he really do about it? The article fails to really address this point.

This may all be moot. All we have right now is speculation about how Hilary will act. Supposedly she had a talking to after her primary campaign. But the best control over her actions isn't an enforcer or her knowledge of history, but her own motives and how she choses to reach her goals.

Generals are as much political animals as military ones. I rather expect in this regard Gen Jones has more experience and better skills than Hilary at political infighting.

What can the General do? He can build a coalition within the cabinet to effectively undermine Hillary. That's what Cheney and Rumsfeld did to Powell.

Of course, the ultimate stick is in Obama's hand. If Jones reports back to the President that Hillary is not a team player, he can get her fired.