Pondering the Un-Read VII: Ricks and Generals

Tom Ricks seems to drive some of my twitter friends a bit crazy.  Still, I am curious about what people think about Ricks's argument in his new book, which I have not yet read.  I have read an excerpt and I have seen enough of Ricks's posts to get the gist:
American generals have been under-performing for decades as they might be good at tactical (and perhaps even operational) thinking but are lousy at creative, strategic thinking.  Ricks blames a change in the culture of the US Army, as generals now have incentives to be mediocre.  There is no punishment for strategic failure--with some folks who fail getting promoted, such as my former boss at J-5, George Casey, who did not do great in Iraq but moved onto the Army's highest post--Chief of Staff.

Having not read the book and not being an expert on the generals of today (but having a heap of contempt for Tommy Franks), I open the question to y'all: do we coddle the generals of today, can we remove them and then re-use them, would it make a difference?