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As for "good choice" this is a guy who pedals conspiracy theories as if they were facts. That's why he earned the name "Mad Dog Mattis."
I remember very well when you wrote that Hillary's ill health was a " conspiracy theory" and then the following week or shortly thereafter, she collasped like a limp rag doll and then was incoherently dragged into a van with her shoes falling off. Im still betting she is very sick.
Oh yeah, this guy is a real peach. Has about the same mindset as Trump, except he actually loves to kill people. Just what we need, one loose cannon in the WH and another one controlling the military.
The DOD job is more than just what happens in the battlefield, it's about managing one of the largest and most inefficent bureacracies in the universe. Wasteful programs, congressional intervention, he will need to be a good administrator and get some very good help. We had some very good secretaries in the past and they indicated what a difficult time, $600B budget and around 2M employees.
If George Catlett Marshall could get a waiver, so can General Mattis.
All he needs is a waiver and it is not hard to get.
He needs eight Democrat votes in favor of the waiver in the US Senate. Maybe you know something that I don't, but so far it is not clear to me whether this will be easy or hard.
If the Democrats refuse to grant the waiver, they will have set stage for petty acrimony right out of the gate and they will have established a new precedent that deference to a new president's nominees will no longer be respected, which if course will eventually be applied to them the next time a Democrat wins the White House.
After this last election, and in front of the 2018 contest where the Democrats will have 25 Senate seats to defend in an off-year election, do they really want to take this posture? I suspect not, but these people are all about the political football match, first and foremost. They will be exercising unusual restraint and self-control if they are somehow able to refrain from turning this into an 'Animal House' class food fight spectacle.
My guess is that they grant him the waiver, but I sure wouldn't bet any money on it.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodnight
The DOD job is more than just what happens in the battlefield, it's about managing one of the largest and most inefficent bureacracies in the universe. Wasteful programs, congressional intervention, he will need to be a good administrator and get some very good help. We had some very good secretaries in the past and they indicated what a difficult time, $600B budget and around 2M employees.
But it's not like they ever get audited or held responsible.
Well, that article is focused on hoping that Gen. Mattis can convince an unfit man not to do the most heinous things he advocated on the campaign trail. I hope so, but that's setting the bar pretty low.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbohm
to the nay sayers, one of mattis favorite quotes is engage your brain before you engage your weapon. he is tough, hard nosed marine, just the kind of guy to be the secretary of defense, but he is also going to be someone who thinks about what needs to be done before doing it.
I have little doubt that Gen. Mattis is smart enough, though I think a better position would have been National Security Advisor or CIA--maybe even State.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodnight
He seems like a good choice but he will need a waiver approved because he was active less than 10 years ago. Historically we have not put military in charge of the military.
Yes, civilian control of the military is a long historic tradition in the United States. This is an erosion of that legacy, and the impact will reverberate long after this presidential term, assuming that Gen. Mattis gets a waiver & confirmation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisanicole1
Great choice for Sec of Defense.
I'm not so sure about that--this role is about managing the bureaucracy & I'm not sure that it's the best use of Gen. Mattis' talents. The role is also about bridging the gap between military commanders and the previously civilian Commander-in-Chief, and given this President's inexperience, I think there is reason to be concerned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bellhead
But can he fix the F-35?
LOL--even with a procurement maven like Ashton Carter, we have made little headway on the F-35 debacles. Oh, and Pratt & Whitney, subsidiary of United Technologies (also owner of Carrier), just so happens to be the engine maker for the F-35 . . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodnight
The DOD job is more than just what happens in the battlefield, it's about managing one of the largest and most inefficent bureacracies in the universe. Wasteful programs, congressional intervention, he will need to be a good administrator and get some very good help. We had some very good secretaries in the past and they indicated what a difficult time, $600B budget and around 2M employees.
Exactly. Exactly. We have the Joint Chiefs to command the battlefield. We have a Secretary of Defense to manage the bureaucracy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilyflower3191981
I know that. BUT
If George Catlett Marshall could get a waiver, so can General Mattis.
All he needs is a waiver and it is not hard to get.
I mean, George Marshall was one of the most accomplished military officers the United States ever produced--especially in matters that straddle the line between military & diplomatic affairs. There's no sentence that should start "If George Catlett Marshall could ___, so can ____. I mean, we call the plan that rebuilt Europe post-WWII the Marshall Plan for good reason.
A waiver is hard to get. Marshall is the only waiver ever issued, and accompanying that waiver was a statement by Congress that this should only happen because of the unique qualities Marshall brought to the spot at a sensitive time. Marshall had been Secretary of State before becoming Secretary of Defense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spartacus713
He needs eight Democrat votes in favor of the waiver in the US Senate. Maybe you know something that I don't, but so far it is not clear to me whether this will be easy or hard.
If the Democrats refuse to grant the waiver, they will have set stage for petty acrimony right out of the gate and they will have established a new precedent that deference to a new president's nominees will no longer be respected, which if course will eventually be applied to them the next time a Democrat wins the White House.
After this last election, and in front of the 2018 contest where the Democrats will have 25 Senate seats to defend in an off-year election, do they really want to take this posture? I suspect not, but these people are all about the political football match, first and foremost. They will be exercising unusual restraint and self-control if they are somehow able to refrain from turning this into an 'Animal House' class food fight spectacle.
My guess is that they grant him the waiver, but I sure wouldn't bet any money on it.
I agree with some of your analysis. Not granting the waiver is not the same thing as disrespecting a President's nominees generally. If Gen. Mattis were nominated for Director of the CIA, there wouldn't be any acrimony. This is different. I think he will get a waiver after the expenditure of considerable political capital.
Last edited by TheCityTheBridge; 12-02-2016 at 12:12 PM..
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