EXACTLY

Mattis was out of line and came across as a disgruntled fired employee. He should of shown more class.

Mattis as a president would start WWIII in less than a year in office. No thank you.

Ol Trump is something else. He marches to his own tune. I'd vote for him over any sorry democrat any day, but man he is his own worst enemy. He could be a far greater president than Ronald Reagan if he would bury the thin-skinned ego crap and surround himself with some capable people instead of being threatened by them. He really could be one of this country's greatest presidents, but his personality won't allow it. It is too bad.

The turnover in his administration has been out of control since day one and things are just too chaotic in his White House. He is lucky as hell that he has Barr in as attorney general. That guy is doing yeoman's work for him. This whole Russia thing would have likely never got off the ground if he'd had the right people in place on day one. The FBI set a trap for Flynn because they knew they could take advantage of the chaos in the transition. But again, Trump suffers because he likes to freelance stuff and not just put the right person in place.

Trump will make a brilliant move, then turn around and shoot himself in the foot. It never fails. I fear it is going to lose the next election for him against such a weak opponent in old foggy Joe. I could go on and on about the Twitter stuff, the press briefings, etc. He made such a brilliant move suspending press briefings and holding impromptu ones in front of the helicopter. That really cut the legs out from up under those self-absorbed reporter hacks carrying the DNC water. But, Trump can never leave well enough alone and he's always got to go back to the well.

Anyway, back to Mattis, the topic at hand. I appreciate his service and when he was appointed SECDEF, I have to admit I was pretty pumped about that. It bothers me when military/CIA/FBI, etc. folks turn around and criticize or take a cheap shot at the president or write a book or whatever. They should be company people and keep their opinions to themselves. That is the respectful thing to do instead of going the sour grapes route. Like him or not, Trump is commander in chief. I think better time would be spent by these folks trying to get us out of Afghanistan, which has gone on for how long now...?

Ohio, Florida , Michigan, those are the key to the Whitehouse for a republican, like it or not, Trump got them last time because they sought change,. Playing to the base who will vote for him regardless ain't going to win those states. He should give flowery speeches, and appoint commissions and all that junk. Keep your eyes on the prize.

Mattie has joined the black eye club.

https://ibb.co/Z2kLGBv

https://ibb.co/Z2kLGBv

Mattis is not a war monger and never has been. The ignorance toward him in this thread is sad to see.

He despises the name mad dog. Trump is a serial liar and never gave him that name - his Marines did. Mattis quit because trump was of questionable character and limited intellect. It doesn't matter how many times you explain a complex concept to a low thinker - they won't get it because they aren't able to. Trump claimed he fired him over a month after Mattis tendered his resignation.

Mattis is 50 times the man trump ever could be even if he decided to have strong character and a moral compass which he does not. Don't get me wrong - I don't hate trump and he's 50 times better than a dem but he's not even in the same solar system as the former SECDEF, Commander of the United States Central Command, Commander of the United States Joint Forces Command, Supreme Allied Commander and Retired United States Marine Corps General who started as an enlisted private.

Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve as a buck private in 1969. He was commissioned a second lieutenant through the Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps on January 1, 1972. As a lieutenant, Mattis was assigned as a rifle and weapons platoon commander in the 3rd Marine Division. As a captain, he was assigned as the Naval Academy Preparatory School's Battalion Officer, commanded rifle and weapons companies in the 1st Marine Regiment, then served at Recruiting Station Portland, Oregon, as a major.

Mattis is a graduate of the US Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, US Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College. He is noted for his interest in the study of military history and world history, with a personal library that once included over 7,000 volumes. He had a penchant for publishing required reading lists for Marines under his command to be well-read in the culture and history of regions where they were deployed.

Now you know at least a tiny bit about the man.

Carry on.

Mattis' resignation letter in full as tendered 20 December, 2018:

Dear Mr President:

I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defence which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defence of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defence Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department's business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong US global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defence, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO's 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model — gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions — to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbours, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defence Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defence occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

Jim N. Mattis

Mattis like MANY of the upper echelon general officer staff have been handpicked and brainwashed into internationalism and political globalism for decades.

HE and MANY of them are not nationalist patriots.
ON the contrary they are Globalist traitor scum.

The fact that Mattis survived the Obama military purge, whereby he removed any and all strict constitutionalist, conservative military leaders over an 8 yr period, tells me all that I need to know about General Mattis. Obama ran off everyone that was good and supported the values that this country was founded and based on. Mattis survived this purge which means he's one of two things. He's one of the opposition at heart or he is a political operator at the highest level, both of which are unacceptable to me in a senior military commander. Do a little research on how many generals and senior military personnel were forced out by Obama as he decimated our military machine and built in back into his "model". The real war fighters were all run out/run off. I have the pleasure of personally knowing and associating with 2 of them on a regular basis and I thank them every time I see them for their service.

Mattis is no globalist. His issue was hanging the Kurds out to dry without giving them manpads so they could defeat Turkey's air power. Doing this after we invited them into Syria with assurances we would protect them from Erdogan was certain death (yet again) at our hands of our staunchest and by far the most militarily fit ally in the region.

I've never served with or under him but I have with many who did.

I understand any who would be in the know would have to have knowledge of the recent history of the region. I am trying the best i can to impart that but without knowing where the holes are in any one person's knowledge - I can't know where to start. I could give a fifteen page long narrative that would fill in the blanks but most would not read it so...

Mattis is a REMF Geno. He's a career man. I personally like his leadership style.... but his comments Today are not constructive in any way to promote the ideals and principals of our Armed Forces. They were a jab at the President. Nothing more or less. There is no place for that on the public stage. Same goes fro Mark Esper.

Mattis is entitled to his opinion. So am I.... My opinion is that he should also keep his mouth shut.

Also realize that the general public can just as easily view Mattis as another Westmoreland. He had led this Nation into and through the longest war in American History and there will be no victory for us in the end. IF that is the mark of superior leadership I'm not sure what to say other than... that is where becoming part of the bureaucracy must lead you.

If'n some of you yahoos want to shore up Mattis, that's fine. I was very pleased at some of the things he said, and publicly stated many of those. The conservative press and some not so conservative painted him as a "warrior-poet-monk" and maybe he is. Anybody who has worn the uniform gets respect from me at the outset. But he, IMHO (MY opinion) tried to tell President Trump it would take lots of blood and treasure to defeat ISIS. Others told the President not so fast. Turned out they were right and Mattis was not. Trump didn't like the all hawk-all the time attitude, Trump not being fond of foreign engagements unless it's REALLY necessary. He fired Mattis. Mattis has his pants in a wad. So sorry. Boo Hoo.

For those running down President Trump, kiss my arse.

Mattis did not want to be in either of the wars we are currently in. He led because that was his job and those who made the larger decisions told him to. I have not met anyone who served with or under him who considered him a remf.

As for being a career man - yes, all he ever wanted to do was be a devil dog. Career man would fit but not in the derogatory sense in this case. My opinion only of course.

Geno, go read my post above. I'm not basing that on what I read, I'm basing that on the opinion of two other generals that I know and eat dinner with at least once a month that were part of the group purged by Obama. The ones that were left untouched were all globalist politicians and Mattis survived so you can take your opinion and ..... Goatkiller quoted exactly what I've been told about him. He's a REMF politician.

He proved who he is this morning. He may have done great things for the country but now he’s sold out. I lost a lot of respect for him.

From Mattis' statements:

"When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution," I did too.

"Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens —much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside," I agree.

"We must reject any thinking of our cities as a 'battlespace' that our uniformed military is called upon to 'dominate. At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors." I agree.

If these actions we being taken by a democratic president - would we feel the same way we do now? That's the best way to look at emotionally charged situations...from every possible angle to see if our feelings would change one way or another with different inputs and variable changes.

Our citizens have the right to assemble. They have the right to say anything they wish to no matter how asinine. Whether or not I agree with the things being vocalized or the folks that are assembling, I am morally obligated to defend those rights.

That all sounds great and "apolitical" but take it for what it is worth. Absolutely nothing. It was written I'm sure by a democrat speech writer or publicist for Obama or Biden. Dont think for one minute that with Obama coming out the other day publicly that a convenient phone call wasnt made to his buddy Mattis about, hey, why dont you make a statement too.

Geno, talk is cheap if you havent figured it out. And if it was not political, why do you think that the selected location for the interview was with a liberal rag sudo news organization. Take the blinders off and see it for what it is.

Sugar coat it any way you like but Mattis has changed, and not for the betterment of the USA. It's obvious by his statements over the past couple of years. I fully supported him being selected by Trump. And I'm very grateful to him for his service. And now, I'm all for him disappearing into society.

Mighty funny majority here voted for john mccain when he ran , but as soon as trump bashed him all of a sudden hes a traitorous bastard . This is a cycle even with mattis and sessions as soon as trump bash them their traitors or communist scum .

thanks for posting Geno - I agree. also a resignation letter with class-something DJT knows nothing about. sad time for our country. gotta break out the ole tinfoil hat before I can read any more of WmHunter posts-geesh....