Re: It is not the backward, it is the forward bit which is the issue
> The router should not be an active configuration management element in a large network. It should shift packets, not perform configuration duties.
Classic rookie mistake to confuse the physical platform that's running some service with the nominal function for that platform. There's no particular reason why you can't run configuration management on a (small) router but mandating that it should be so is entirely illogical, its not a router function (or like you say, "its there to shift packets").