Mattis on Syria & Iran
Paul sends us a link to the USAToday in which Jim Michaels interviews the anti-Dempsey general, Marine General James Mattis about Syria and Iran and the reasons that he left the service;
Mattis recently stepped down as head of Central Command, which oversaw wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was responsible for a region that includes Syria, Iran, Yemen and other flashpoints.
News of his retirement prompted reports that the White House had squeezed him out of the job early over policy differences. The White House has denied it.
Asked about those reports, Mattis would say only that he gave unvarnished military advice to his civilian bosses.
“The idea that you should moderate it before you give it to them is not showing respect to your civilian leadership,” Mattis said.
[…]
“Mattis was looking at Iran as the No. 1 threat in his (region),” said Rep. Duncan Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Hunter, R-Calif., said Mattis made it clear that any military conflict involving Iran would not be simple or quick.
Mattis said Iran’s influence in the region is based on its military posture.
“No one gives a damn what Iran thinks on any significant issue,” Mattis said. “The only reason Iran is at the big boys’ table is because of their nuclear weapons program.”
I’ve always said that our withdrawal route from Iraq should have been through the streets of Tehran. And the withdrawal should have been right after the Hussein regime collapsed – the Iraqis could have rebuilt their own nation after we removed Hussein, but the world will never be peaceful as long as the mullahs are in Iran. If they want to call us the Great Satan, give them a reason. Iran was the root of our problems in Iraq and now Afghanistan. I think Mattis was probably telling the White House the truth and they didn’t want to hear it anymore.
Category: Terror War
When was the last time the White House wanted to hear the truth, again? I’ve forgotten.
Don’t pull punches, Jonn. Iran has been the root of our problems in the ME for about 35 years now.
Well writ and on target.
Well, we’ve seen that this administration is purely focused on making decisions based on their “feelings” and lack of looking things from a common sense approach. Clearly, the only senior officers that seem to last are the ones that pander to the WH. I’ve known Jim Mattis for about 15 years and he’s NOT the kind of person that sugar-coats things, and he tells it like he sees it, and does so only when he’s precise about the information in what he’s talking about.
If he hurt someone’s feelings at the WH, it’s because they didn’t like what he had to say (but they should have listened to him… he knows what he’s talking about) and the way he said it. This comes as no surprise. I’d believe Gen Mattis any day before I’d believe anything the WH says.
Mattis for President in 2016.
“Because F@CK YOU, that’s why.”
@5 Too many namby pamby 4ssclowns in the electorate these days….I’d love to see it but our current crop of pussies would never vote for someone with an actual spine…
Because this administration, and DOD, have been infiltrated by the Muzzie Brotherhood.
@5: The press conferences alone would be worth the admission price.
I believe after this administration is through, there won’t be a spine or set of balls left inside the beltway, to include the five sided palace.
My new dream ticket for 2016: Mattis-West
Chuck Norris and Senior Chief’s hair would even bow out of respect.
Old trooper – One could only wish!! That team would be great!
@5 – Because F@CK you, that’s why.
I am SO borrowing that.
@12, no worries…I took it from the election poster we did up at work for ‘Mattis 2016’.
“Asked about those reports, Mattis would say only, ‘Because F@CK you, that’s why!'”
CWO5USMC: Consider applying to be his press secretary or spokesman, please.
I served in the 7th Marine Regiment when he was its CO… he told Choomer and the minions the truth, and they crapped their pants, that’s why he’s out of a job.
Every time you shade the truth, every time you try to paint things in a better light than they really are, your troops are put at risk, and some will probably die as a result.
Too bad there are far too many people inside the Pentagon who are so far removed (or never were) from the tip of the spear, they’ve long since forgotten that.
My only hope is that someone in the WH is thinking about, and planning for, war with Iran, because it’s coming and likely sooner than later. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and say it’s going to be happening in conjunction with the balloon going up over in the Koreas. North Korea, Iran & Syria have been working together for many years on a single nuclear weapons program. Their scientists have been seen in each other’s countries, and they have fairly successfully kept their work out of the press’s eyesight for all this time. Well, when that imbecile in North Korea finally sends his troops over the border, you can bet your ass that Israel will be striking Iran, because they know that they are front & center in the Mullah’s target list. They know that, as soon as US troops get hit in Korea, that the Iranians will strike because US attention will be directed elsewhere. They know that the moron in the oval office won’t be available for that 3am phone call, that he’ll be crapping himself about handling a war in Korea, and won’t want to have to deal with anything else in the Middle East. His reputation, his legacy, is the only thing that matters to him, after all. Syria has been in the thralls of some wicked fighting these past months, but let me ask you this: How much of that was sincere attacks by a small but fanatical group of rebels, and how many of those attacks were simply Iran staging troops in Syria for an attack against Israel? Iran could care less how many people it kills to get what it wants. It is the root & branch of terrorist operations in the Middle East, and has been since before the Ayatollah returned, it’s radicals having been supporting the terrorists of the MB, the PLO, Black September, etc. Things are going to be bad, really bad over there, and in Korea, because those assclowns know that the only chance, the only real chance for them to fulfill their wet dream… Read more »
This is understandable. I don’t think Obama could exist if every day the people that worked under him told me how fucking retarded he is. Seriously, I wouldn’t expect anything but an echo chamber with this administration. Pretty sad our highest echelon of military service has no room for anything but yes men. That certainly wasn’t the case during World War deuce.
“The idea that you should moderate it before you give it to them is not showing respect to your civilian leadership,” Mattis said.
That has to be the money quote of the day.
@17 AW1 Tim:
Well reasoned and very plausible to me.
@17 – What’s funnier is that if/when shit hits the fan with Iran, someone in the back is going to ask, “What was it General Mattis said?” By then, it’ll be too late.