Amid a storm of controversy stoked by a Rolling Stone interview last June, Gen. Stanley McChrystal was fired as top commander of U.S./NATO forces in Afghanistan, allegedly for making disparaging remarks about top White House officials.

After such a highly publicized ouster, one might be led to think the future of McChrystal’s career would be in question. Not so. The "disgraced" former general has recently been hired by Yale University. He has also signed on with a Washington-based agency to set up speaking engagements. The fee per appearance: up to $60,000, plus travel and lodging for three. (CNN, Aug. 17)

While it may seem outrageous that a military commander fired in such a public and controversial manner would be so quickly "rehabilitated," it is simply par for the course in the day-to-day phenomena commonly known as Washington’s revolving door from public to private offices.

Countless numbers of former high-ranking military and civilian Pentagon officials now hold incredibly lucrative positions in a wide array of careers, from defense contracting to academia.