Free Republic

An anonymous group of conservative billionaires is ready to place their bets on a man dubbed “Mad Dog,” hoping to draft him into the presidential race to confront Donald Trump. Think of it as a Plan B should Trump be nominated by the Republican Party in Cleveland: swing behind retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis and press him into service yet again as a third-party candidate. Mattis is the former commander of Central Command, which includes the strife-afflicted conflict zones of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, and has developed a reputation among troops as a general...

As the inevitability of a Donald Trump nomination grows, many Republicans are moving to the acceptance stage of grief. Trump’s unfavorability ratings are historic for a presumptive nominee. Some reputable polls have him as high as 60 percent negative, many others have him losing by double digits to Hillary Clinton. Retention of the Senate, already an uphill climb in an election year swelling with vulnerable Republican incumbents, is an equally dim prospect. Not all conservatives have given up the ship. The presumptive Democratic nominee is a hair away from federal indictment. The presumptive Republican nominee is a reality-TV lunatic who...

Mattis wanted to send a third aircraft-carrier group to the Persian Gulf earlier this year, The Daily Beast has exclusively learned, in what would have been a massive show of force at a time when Iranian military commanders were publicly threatening to sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The four-star Marine Corps general and CentCom commander believed the display could have deterred Iran from further escalating tensions, according to U.S. military officials familiar with his thinking. But the president wanted to focus military resources on new priorities like China, and Mattis was told a third carrier group was...

Pvt. Robert Pennington CAMP PENDLETON ---- The seventh of eight Marines jailed for the execution of an Iraqi man left the brig Friday afternoon, freed by a Camp Pendleton general. Pvt. Robert Pennington walked free after Lt. Gen. James Mattis granted him clemency, slashing the remaining seven years off Pennington's eight-year sentence. Pennington struck a lengthy plea deal earlier this year, admitting his role in a plot that left an Iraqi man dead on the side of a road in the rural village of Hamdania on April 26, 2006. His family said Friday they were overjoyed with the decision...

The appointment of Marine Corps General James N. Mattis to head up Central Command (CENTCOM) is, of course, very good news. Mattis, after all, may well be America’s greatest living general. He certainly is one of the most intellectually formidable advocates of counterinsurgency warfare. However, Mattis’ appointment –- or, to be more precise, the reaction to his appointment amongst reporters and by the Pentagon leadership — raises troubling doubts about whether the American elite understand and are committed to free speech. I say this for two reasons: First because the Pentagon has imposed new and more restrictive rules on military...

Gen. James Mattis, known to his troops as “Mad Dog Mattis,” is retiring after 41 years of military service. The Marine Corps Times is calling Mattis the “most revered Marine in a generation.” Mattis has been commander of the United States Central Command since 2010 and led the 1st Marine Division into Iraq in 2003. According to reports, President Barack Obama decided to force the Marine Corps legend out early because he rubbed civilian officials the wrong way, and forced them to answer tough questions regarding Iran. Mattis was an inspirational leader of men and his powerful words will go...

To: the editors of almost every news report I've seen who quote General Mattis saying "I don't have to apologize for the conduct of my men." As exhibit A, I present to you a verbatim transcript of the press conference in question. As exhibit B, I further note the pertinent part of the conference: Unnamed Reporter: What happened yesterday at 3 a.m. in Al Qaim? Was there a wedding on? A wedding celebration? Gen. Mattis: You joined us a little late, as I said to the young lady here, I said how many people how many people go to the...

Marine, Iraqi leaders ready to push ahead toward Iraq's futureSubmitted by: 1st Marine DivisionStory Identification #: 200452173641Story by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq (May 21, 2004) -- Leaders of the 1st Marine Division, the Fallujah Brigade and Fallujah's mayor said Thursday that the city is ready for rebuilding. "I've got my plan and by God, come hell or high water, I'm just going to execute that plan no matter what," said Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Division. "Our end state was all along, if you ask the Marines, was 'no better...

WASHINGTON -- A Marine general in Iraq ripped front-line journalists for "Chicken Little" coverage of the March invasion, and advised military leaders to "never forget how quickly the press jumped on the bandwagon of doom and gloom," a critical internal study of the war reveals. "Visions of Vietnam danced in reporters' heads" during halts in the march to Baghdad, griped the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division in a 67-page draft report obtained by WorldNetDaily. Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis heaped scorn on "unilateral" correspondents in his May 29 report. He said they "routinely"...

Liberals Concerned Military Wants Them Dead WASHINGTON, DC --- Liberals are running scared this week after a three-star general said in a press conference that "it's fun to shoot some people." The General was making reference to ruthless terrorists, but peaceniks, journalists and politicians are concerned that the military might think it's fun to shoot them as well. "I'm scared as hell," said a top Democrat asking for anonymity for security reasons. "These men actually enjoy shooting anti-American, freedom-hating scum. It's a fine line between the terrorists they like shooting and the liberals in this country. I purchased a bullet-proof...

NADIA BOROWSKI SCOTT / Union-Tribune Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler (left) shook hands yesterday with Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis after Mattis took over as commander of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton Quotable and iconic, controversial and laconic, Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis took command of 50,000 troops at Camp Pendleton yesterday as allegations of war crimes and mounting war casualties hang over the base. Mattis replaced Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, 57, as commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, which has done most of the fighting in Iraq's volatile Anbar province this year. “This...

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer NORTH COUNTY ---- Marine Corps officials confirmed Friday that Lt. Gen. James Mattis has called for an investigation into who leaked documents recently from a massive investigation of the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq. An attorney representing one of eight Camp Pendleton Marines charged in connection with the incident said Friday it was essential Mattis order the probe given the notoriety caused by a Jan. 6 Washington Post article. The newspaper cited interviews with eyewitnesses who allege four of the Marines had gunned down five men. "A lot of...

Lt. Gen. James Mattis in his office at Camp Pendleton Tuesday during an interview. Lt. Gen. James Mattis told the North County Times during an exclusive interview this week that while a lot of work has been done in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is much to do to defeat the extremist threats to Middle East stability and long-term U.S. security. "The problem of violent extremists existed long before 2003, and it is going to exist long after the next presidential election," said Mattis, who also commands Camp Pendleton's 25,000-member I Marine Expeditionary Force. "We are going to have to confront...

Marine Corps' Middle East commander getting new job and fourth star CAMP PENDLETON -- The Defense Department formally announced Tuesday that Camp Pendleton's Lt. Gen. James Mattis has been nominated by President Bush for a fourth star and appointment to the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. Mattis has led the base's 25,000-member I Marine Expeditionary Force and served as commander of Marine Corps forces throughout the Middle East since August of last year. He also served as the convening authority over war crime cases involving Marines in Iraq, a duty that he will pass to his successor. The U.S....

CAMP PENDLETON -- On the eve of his promotion to four-star general and a new assignment, Camp Pendleton's Lt. Gen. James Mattis is being acclaimed by colleagues and observers for his combat command skills and adept handling of troops accused of killing Iraqi civilians. "I regard him as America's foremost war fighter," Gary Solis, a former Marine judge and prosecutor, said last week. "No general has ever had to deal with so many tough cases at one time and handled them with such skill and aplomb." Mattis will soon be on his way from Camp Pendleton to an assignment in...

Breaking: General Stanley McChrystal tenders his resignation A senior Capitol Hill source tells me that General Stanley McChrystal had tendered his resignation to President Barack Obama and that the White House is actively discussing a replacement who could be quickly confirmed by the Senate. The source said that among the names being touted as possible successors are General James Mattis, the outgoing head of the US Joint Forces Command and due to retire after being passed over as US Marine Corps commander, and Lieutenant General William Caldwell, commander of Nato’s Training Mission in Afghanistan. Of course, offering to resign...

CAMP PENDLETON — The top general who led Marines into combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, drawing both fire and praise for his handling of cases involving the deaths of civilians, bade a reluctant and emotional farewell to his troops Friday. Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, newly assigned to a joint command at Norfolk, Va., wrote to his Marines and sailors that "you've been my daily inspiration -- even on the toughest days, you've stood there boldly undismayed. . . . I'm forever in your debt." For the past year, Mattis has led the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A four-star general testified Monday that a lower-ranking officer did not influence his decision to bring criminal charges against the battalion commander in charge of Marines tied to the deaths of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Gen. James N. Mattis also testified there was no pressure from above ---- be it from the Pentagon, congressional contacts or the Marine Corps commandant ---- for him to criminally charge anyone in the Haditha killings. "I make my own decisions," Mattis said. (snip) He also said the intense media spotlight on the killings "had no influence whatsoever" in his decision...

A four-star general will testify at a pretrial hearing in the biggest criminal case against U.S. troops to arise from the Iraq war, a Marine Corps spokesman said Thursday. Gen. James Mattis is scheduled to address a military judge Monday on a defense motion to dismiss charges against Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich on grounds of undue command influence, said the spokesman, Lt. Col. David Griesmer. The defense argues Mattis was improperly influenced by a military lawyer, Col. John Ewers, who investigated the killings of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in November 2005 and later became a top aide when the general...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today recommended Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis to be the next commander of U.S. Central Command. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has recommended to President Barack Obama that he nominate Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, to succeed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as commander of U.S. Central Command. DoD photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. If confirmed by the Senate, Mattis will succeed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who now commands U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Mattis currently is commander...