In the many wars a general would be appointed due to the persons political standing rather than because they were good generals who had spent a lot of time in the military. By this I mean if you were a duke the king would appoint you the head of the Navy or if you were good at getting votes or volunteers the president would make you a general.
Today, at least in the United States, it would be inconceivable for President Obama to appoint a chief campaign contribution bundler as the four star general in charge of Iraq. When did such political appointments end being acceptable? Are there still countries that behave this way?