Oorah, General Mattis
Dec 3, 2016 12:38:20 #
President Elect Donald J. Trumpet kudos to you for having the wisdom to nominate retired Marine General James Mattis for Secretary of Defense. Finally, someone in the White House and a Secretary of Defense that will take the military and the defense of our great nation seriously. It will take some time to undo the great damage that Obama had done to our military but the process will now begin.
He has been compared to General George S. Patton. To paraphrase General Patton: Thank God such men live!
From the Wall Street Journal
Oorah, General Mattis
Trump’s Pentagon pick won’t start a war but he will finish one.
Dec. 2, 2016 7:14 p.m. ET
Donald Trump rewarded loyalists with posts at Treasury and Commerce, but the President-elect has chosen a Defense Secretary on the merits. Retired Marine General James Mattis is Mr. Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon, which is good news for global order, as well as for the health of a military that for eight years has been treated like a political football.
A retired four-star who enlisted in the Marines in 1969, Gen. Mattis commanded a division during the 2003 Iraq invasion and later ran U.S. Central Command. He’s known as a steely warrior with a seemingly infinite library of books and memorable remarks, including the motto: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to k**l everybody you meet.”
He shows similar candor on threats to freedom abroad, and he has called the Iranian regime “the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East,” which is true. Gen. Mattis is more skeptical about Vladimir Putin than Mr. Trump is, and on Russia the general will be a useful counterweight to National Security AdviserMichael Flynn. U.S. adversaries looking to test the new President may think twice with Gen. Mattis aboard.
The general is also among the most revered military officers of his generation, and his former charges are floating stories of his leadership. He once volunteered to stand duty on Christmas Day so a young major could spend the holiday with his family; he crisscrossed the country to visit Gold Star mothers.
That sense of shared service would be welcome in a military that needs a boost. You’re probably read about the pilot who flies the same B-52 as his grandfather, or maintenance crews who dig up airplane parts in a museum. Polls of active-duty soldiers reveal a “morale crisis.” A Mattis appointment would raise confidence in the ranks that the Pentagon’s political leadership knows what it’s like to be in a foxhole—and will give troops the equipment to succeed.
Too often the Obama Administration has tried to use the military as a political or cultural bludgeon. Earlier this year the Defense Department circulated a memo about defeating House Speaker Paul Ryan’s defense bill. Mr. Ryan wanted to increase military spending without breaking budget caps. The memo called for a veto as a “weapon” to leverage more domestic spending.
Congress will have to pass a law to exempt Gen. Mattis from the restriction that a military officer must be retired for at least seven years before becoming the Pentagon’s civilian leader. On Thursday evening New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she won’t support the waiver. Maybe she’s starting her 2020 p**********l campaign early, but she’s going to need a better platform. The principle of civilian leadership is important, but Gen. Mattis has the knowledge and experience to deserve the dispensation. He will advocate for the entire military, not merely the Marines.
Are Democrats who say they’re terrified of Donald Trump as Commander in Chief going to deny him the advice of a Pentagon counselor as seasoned as Jim Mattis due to a legal technicality? Perhaps they’d prefer Sarah Palin so they can really frighten themselves.
Gen. Mattis has seen the cost of wars enough to want to deter them, but he also knows that if you fight them you need to do so with the force and will to win. As he said in a letter to a colleague: “‘Winging it’ and filling body bags as we sort out what works reminds us of the moral dictates and the cost of competence in our profession.” Mr. Trump has made a reassuring choice.
He has been compared to General George S. Patton. To paraphrase General Patton: Thank God such men live!
From the Wall Street Journal
Oorah, General Mattis
Trump’s Pentagon pick won’t start a war but he will finish one.
Dec. 2, 2016 7:14 p.m. ET
Donald Trump rewarded loyalists with posts at Treasury and Commerce, but the President-elect has chosen a Defense Secretary on the merits. Retired Marine General James Mattis is Mr. Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon, which is good news for global order, as well as for the health of a military that for eight years has been treated like a political football.
A retired four-star who enlisted in the Marines in 1969, Gen. Mattis commanded a division during the 2003 Iraq invasion and later ran U.S. Central Command. He’s known as a steely warrior with a seemingly infinite library of books and memorable remarks, including the motto: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to k**l everybody you meet.”
He shows similar candor on threats to freedom abroad, and he has called the Iranian regime “the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East,” which is true. Gen. Mattis is more skeptical about Vladimir Putin than Mr. Trump is, and on Russia the general will be a useful counterweight to National Security AdviserMichael Flynn. U.S. adversaries looking to test the new President may think twice with Gen. Mattis aboard.
The general is also among the most revered military officers of his generation, and his former charges are floating stories of his leadership. He once volunteered to stand duty on Christmas Day so a young major could spend the holiday with his family; he crisscrossed the country to visit Gold Star mothers.
That sense of shared service would be welcome in a military that needs a boost. You’re probably read about the pilot who flies the same B-52 as his grandfather, or maintenance crews who dig up airplane parts in a museum. Polls of active-duty soldiers reveal a “morale crisis.” A Mattis appointment would raise confidence in the ranks that the Pentagon’s political leadership knows what it’s like to be in a foxhole—and will give troops the equipment to succeed.
Too often the Obama Administration has tried to use the military as a political or cultural bludgeon. Earlier this year the Defense Department circulated a memo about defeating House Speaker Paul Ryan’s defense bill. Mr. Ryan wanted to increase military spending without breaking budget caps. The memo called for a veto as a “weapon” to leverage more domestic spending.
Congress will have to pass a law to exempt Gen. Mattis from the restriction that a military officer must be retired for at least seven years before becoming the Pentagon’s civilian leader. On Thursday evening New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said she won’t support the waiver. Maybe she’s starting her 2020 p**********l campaign early, but she’s going to need a better platform. The principle of civilian leadership is important, but Gen. Mattis has the knowledge and experience to deserve the dispensation. He will advocate for the entire military, not merely the Marines.
Are Democrats who say they’re terrified of Donald Trump as Commander in Chief going to deny him the advice of a Pentagon counselor as seasoned as Jim Mattis due to a legal technicality? Perhaps they’d prefer Sarah Palin so they can really frighten themselves.
Gen. Mattis has seen the cost of wars enough to want to deter them, but he also knows that if you fight them you need to do so with the force and will to win. As he said in a letter to a colleague: “‘Winging it’ and filling body bags as we sort out what works reminds us of the moral dictates and the cost of competence in our profession.” Mr. Trump has made a reassuring choice.
USMC General Jame Mattis
Dec 3, 2016 13:26:39 #
I just think it's cool to be able to say Secretary of Defense "MadDog" Mattis.
"Hello Hassan, Don here"
"Hello President Trump"
"Hassan, stop F'n around over there or I'm going to send General MadDog over to renegotiate our agreement.
"Uh, MadDog?, uh, no, no problem here President Trump, just a misunderstanding, um, we took care of it, won't be an issue any more, we're all good here, ahh, anything else I can help you with President Trump?"
"Hello Hassan, Don here"
"Hello President Trump"
"Hassan, stop F'n around over there or I'm going to send General MadDog over to renegotiate our agreement.
"Uh, MadDog?, uh, no, no problem here President Trump, just a misunderstanding, um, we took care of it, won't be an issue any more, we're all good here, ahh, anything else I can help you with President Trump?"
Dec 3, 2016 14:53:40 #
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Dec 4, 2016 07:39:32 #
At first I thought this might be a bad choice but then upon reading about the General's philosophies I realized there is a lot more to this man than meets the eye. Good choice.
Dec 4, 2016 08:21:41 #
Croce
Loc: Earth
Opus wrote:
At first I thought this might be a bad choice but then upon reading about the General's philosophies I realized there is a lot more to this man than meets the eye. Good choice.
Dec 5, 2016 11:37:02 #
Semper Fi General Mattis. Keep up the good work. Thanks for letting your Marines k**l those who needed k*****g. Good luck as Secretary of Defense.
Dennis
Dennis
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