Jim Mattis, Marine legend who became Trump's 'Mad Dog' Pentagon chief, prepares for media blitz

[mystery-ak]

Jim Mattis, Marine legend who became Trump's 'Mad Dog' Pentagon chief, prepares for media blitz
by Russ Read
 | September 01, 2019 09:26 AM

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While famously media shy during his time in government, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis offered a brief glimpse into his thoughts on today’s political environment in an essay and interview last week, but the appearance left several questions unanswered.

These rare media appearances are not random, as Mattis will be appearing at several events in the coming days to promote his new book, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead. The two pieces delve into why the former Marine Corps general chose to serve as secretary of defense and why he resigned. There are some new details about the journey, but his thoughts on several key points remain unclear. One common theme is his desire to stay above the fray when it comes to politics.

“He felt as a Marine, when he was asked to serve the country there was no question he was going to serve. Period. He felt he was capable of doing it and it never occurred to him to say no,” Bing West, Mattis’ co-author, told the Washington Examiner. “He was asked by the commander in chief to do a mission, he said I’m going to do the mission.”

But Mattis resigned less than two years later, citing policy differences with President Trump. “I had no choice but to leave,” Mattis told the Atlantic.

According to his resignation letter, Mattis left due to concerns regarding the administration’s relationship with key military allies. While he does not accuse Trump of disregarding them outright, he did say the president has “the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours.”

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/jim-mattis-marine-legend-who-became-trumps-mad-dog-pentagon-chief-prepares-for-media-blitz

[Absalom]

John Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, among several, were legends; as their military performance attests.
Mattis, a Marine time server in the Middle East, was emphatically not a legend, as his record attests.
But media ass kissers like Mead are easily impressed by military labels and uniforms rather than performance.

[TomSea]

This might be one of the rare times, I will try to find a book that is newly published, it sounds very intriguing.

I am happy with Trump; but not always a big fan of decisions like that at first, in Syria. That upset me, Trump largely backpedaled on withdrawing all troops in 60-90 days, however that was and allowed our small contingent force to stay.