“But they will, Delouvrier,” de Gaulle replied impatiently, “the military will obey. When a soldier gets mixed up in politics he only commits stupidities [conneries]. Look at Dreyfus. Their job is to fight on the ground.”

DEFINE: De Gaulle's dismissive view conflates the Dreyfus affair with a general rule that soldiers who enter politics make 'conneries' (stupidities).

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 1082