Dric902 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 In his letter to Trump, Mattis acknowledged that a strong nation relies on a "comprehensive" network of alliances, and must be "resolute and unambiguous" in approaching countries with strategic differences, citing China and Russia. "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense 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," Mattis wrote. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve4102 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 He has my respect for his military service, not his politics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXUSMC Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 (edited) While SECDEF is a political appointee, I don't think that politics ever affected Mattis' thinking on national defense or international security issues. Like all career military officers, he is hard-wired to be apolitical in his views. If he had been told during the hiring interview that being a partisan Republican was job # 1, he would have respectfully declined the position. He has universal respect from both sides of the Congressional aisle. He knew that he had a duty to step down if he could not reconcile his personal opposition to he President's views on national security. When he does leave, don't expect him to be a frequent (or even infrequent) guest on the Sunday morning news shows. I do expect his advice to be sought by future Presidents. He will not run for office. He will probably take positions with "think tanks". Edited December 23, 2018 by TXUSMC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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