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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMattis did an essay in the WSJ (behind paywall)
Jim Mattis: Duty, Democracy and the Threat of Tribalism
Lessons in leadership from a lifetime of service, from fighting in the Marines Corps to working for President Donald Trump
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jim-mattis-duty-democracy-and-the-threat-of-tribalism-11566984601
hlthe2b
(101,728 posts)F..k them. (and no, I don't say the same about other newspapers, who DO deserve our support, but still allow a little bit of access to those not yet ready or able to subscribe).
marble falls
(56,358 posts)hlthe2b
(101,728 posts)NYT is five/month. WAPO is generous with 20 (total of articles, images, maps, graphs)
WSJ ALLOWS ZERO.
marble falls
(56,358 posts)CatWoman
(79,283 posts)real Cannabis calm
(1,124 posts)In late November 2016, I was enjoying Thanksgiving break in my hometown on the Columbia River in Washington state when I received an unexpected call from Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Would I meet with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss the job of secretary of defense?
I had taken no part in the election campaign and had never met or spoken to Mr. Trump, so to say that I was surprised is an understatement. Further, I knew that, absent a congressional waiver, federal law prohibited a former military officer from serving as secretary of defense within seven years of departing military service. Given that no waiver had been authorized since Gen. George Marshall was made secretary in 1950, and Id been out for only 3½ years, I doubted I was a viable candidate. Nonetheless, I felt I should go to Bedminster, N.J., for the interview...
Afterward, the president-elect escorted me out to the front steps of the colonnaded clubhouse, where the press was gathered. I assumed that I would be on my way back to Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution, where Id spent the past few years doing research. I figured that my strong support of NATO and my dismissal of the use of torture on prisoners would have the president-elect looking for another candidate.
In this article, we see Trump clearly circumventing the US Constitution, he swore to uphold, in many ways.
applegrove
(118,020 posts)to source a good quote. But i posted the link and title anyways in case people had access to the WSJ. Thanks for posting what you found there.
applegrove
(118,020 posts)canetoad
(17,088 posts)Using every skill I had learned during my decades as a Marine, I did as well as I could for as long as I could, Mattis wrote. When my concrete solutions and strategic advice, especially keeping faith with our allies, no longer resonated, it was time to resign, despite the limitless joy I felt serving alongside our troops in defense of our Constitution.
The retired U.S. Marine Corps general took several veiled shots at the president, his domestic leadership and his understanding of the United States role in the world.
Nations with allies thrive, and those without them wither, he wrote. Alone, America cannot protect our people and our economy.
At this time, we can see storm clouds gathering, Mattis added. A polemicists role is not sufficient for a leader. A leader must display strategic acumen that incorporates respect for those nations that have stood with us when trouble loomed. Returning to a strategic stance that includes the interests of as many nations as we can make common cause with, we can better deal with this imperfect world we occupy together. Absent this, we will occupy an increasingly lonely position, one that puts us at increasing risk in the world.
Mattis warned that Trumps domestic leadership had ripped apart American unity, and he said that placed democracy itself in danger.
A little more at the link: https://www.salon.com/2019/08/28/james-mattis-takes-aim-at-trump-in-new-essay-a-polemicists-role-is-not-sufficient-for-a-leader_partner/