No doubt it's a tough job, part of wearing a uniform is being a chameleon and Dempsey is stuck doing that. He has spoken in public about his misgivings, something that I would think cost him some political capital.
Really doesn't matter what you or I think of him. He is the man wearing the uniform and helping to shape the response for better or worse. We can work within that reality or bitch about some theoretical path under some other JCS.
I'm usually with you SAS, but I'm not going to trample on Dempsey. I've heard less than stellar things about McMaster as well, I believe the egos at the 3-4 star level make for some ugly politics that make the belt ways games look childish. I recognize heaping praise on someone doesn't sell books, crapping on someone does.