Free Republic

A Mattis-Bolton accord on Jordan replacing the PLO in future negotiations with Israel will undoubtedly reinforce Trump's preparedness to make this long-overdue call Mattis-Bolton accord can sway Trump to dump PLO for Jordan President Trump’s possible call for Jordan to replace the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as Israel’s negotiating partner under Trump’s soon-to-be-released “ultimate deal” will be considerably strengthened if Trump’s newly-appointed National Security Adviser - John Bolton - and Secretary of Defense - James “Mad Dog” Mattis - concur on such a move. Bolton has supported this strategy since 2009‚Äì telling Eric Shawn on 21 January 2018:

Secretary of Defense James Mattis dispelled reports Tuesday that he was apprehensive about working with President Trump’s incoming National Security Advisor John Bolton."I'll tell you right up front, it's going to be a partnership, we are going to go forward," Mattis told reporters during a news conference at the Pentagon.When asked about his differing world views with Bolton, Mattis responded, "I hope that there's some different world views. That's the normal thing you want unless you want group think."Mattis acknowledged that the two hadn’t met yet but said Bolton was coming to the Pentagon later this week for discussions."We are...

The U.S. has no evidence to confirm reports from aid groups and others that the Syrian government has used the deadly chemical sarin on its citizens, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday. “We have other reports from the battlefield from people who claim it’s been used,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon. “We do not have evidence of it.” He said he was not rebutting the reports. “We’re looking for evidence of it, since clearly we are dealing with the Assad regime that has used denial and deceit to hide their outlaw actions,” Mattis said. Syrian President Bashar Assad denies...

President Donald Trump signed a military spending bill on Tuesday, promising a “strong military” with the best equipment during his presidency. “We need our military, its got to be ‘perfecto,’” Trump said, urging Congress to remove military sequester caps and pass a clean funding bill for the government next year. Trump called the military funding bill a “momentous“ occasion and a great step in funding the “greatest fighting force in the history of the world.” He said that the bill increased the size of the armed forces budget for the first time in seven years, and included the largest military...

Well, maybe the Crazy Little Fat Guy in North Korea isn’t quite so crazy after all. – Shortly after Defense Secretary General James Mattis warned that the firing of North Korean missiles in the direction of any U.S. state or territory would be an act of war and treated by the U.S. with an overwhelming response, the Crazy Little Fat Guy appearsto have backed down. The Crazy Little Fat Guy stated that he has decided not to launch the threatened four nuclear-armed missiles at Guam, a U.S. territory, saying he would “wait a little longer.” Mr. Crazy went on to...

Donald Trump earned respect from the Washington establishment for appointing three of the nation's most accomplished generals to direct his national security policy: James Mattis (secretary of defense), H.R. McMaster (national security adviser) and John Kelly (secretary of homeland security). In the first five months of the Trump administration, the three generals -- along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil CEO -- have already recalibrated America's defenses. At home, illegal immigration is down by some 70 percent. Abroad, a new policy of principled realism seeks to re-establish deterrence through credible threats of retaliation. The generals are...

Sec. of Defense James Mattis, known for his frank quotes about the realities of war, offered up a line befitting his nickname, “Mad Dog,” during an interview airing Sunday. “What keeps you awake at night?” CBS “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson asked Mattis. “Nothing,” a stonefaced Mattis responded. “I keep other people awake at night.” WATCH: (Video) Mattis’ remark is sure to join a long list of the former Marine general’s most memorable quotes. “When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look at him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend

Secretary of Defense James Mattis appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" this morning and spoke with James Dickerson about a number of national security issues, including ISIS, North Korea, the Manchester bombing, NATO, and the Paris climate agreement. Mattis, a retired General and former Commandant of the United States Central Command, had a storied Marine career and was hailed as "The most revered Marine of his generation" upon his retirement in 2013. To say that he's probably seen some things is an understatement. He's previously said, “I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.” What...

Sec. of Defense James Mattis, known for his frank quotes about the realities of war, offered up a line befitting his nickname, “Mad Dog,” during an interview airing Sunday. “What keeps you awake at night?” CBS “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson asked Mattis. “Nothing,” a stonefaced Mattis responded. “I keep other people awake at night.”

“I do not fear Trump. We must thank the new American president because he showed the real face of America and because he exposed what we have been saying for decades about the political, moral and economic corruption in it.” This is the recent statement made by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against the newly-elected US administration. Yes, we’re passing through a new phase. There has been a major transformation following the reactive years of isolationism which show the depth of the roots that America has returned to in terms of engaging with world crises and contributing to managing...

President Donald Trump said Friday that he will defer to the judgment of Defense Secretary James Mattis that torture and waterboarding should continue to be banned in the interrogations of terror suspects. "He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding or however you want to define it," Trump said of Mattis, a retired Marine general who had commands in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I don't necessarily agree, but he [Mattis] will override because I'm giving him that power." "I'm going to rely on him" on so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques," Trump said, though "I happen to...

Haven't been able to find this information anywhere, so I'll ask the greatest group of detectives I know: the members of FreeRepublic. Does anyone know the identity of the lovely young lady who held the Bible for Mattis during his swearing-in ceremony?

Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis was approved on Wednesday by the Senate Committee on Armed Services to serve as secretary of defense in Donald Trump’s administration. Mattis sailed through the committee, which voted 26-1 for him to lead the Pentagon. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) was the only member of the Senate panel to vote against the retired four-star general, who enjoys bipartisan support to head the Defense Department under President-elect Trump. Gillibrand has previously said she would oppose confirming Mattis because he only retired from the Marine Corps in 2013, while federal law requires a seven-year break between military...

This was supposed to be the week President-elect Trump's nominees endured tough grilling and determined opposition in Senate confirmation hearings. "Trump Cabinet picks face extreme vetting ahead of confirmation," USA Today reported last month, predicting that several Trump picks could face a very difficult time on Capitol Hill. Now Week One is ending, and the tough grilling mostly didn't materialize. And all of Trump's first week of nominees seem headed toward confirmation. Seven Trump picks — Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary-designate John Kelly, Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson, Transportation Secretary-designate Elaine Chao, Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis, Housing and...

With Trump's excellent team, such as USMC (Ret) General James Mattis in charge, the U.S. government has all the battlefield expertise it needs to win the Jihad War. We can start by keeping in mind that the U.S. military won every engagement it wanted to win in Iraq -- the ones we lost are due to our dreadful civilian bumblers. Nevertheless, losing naval control of the Gulf, for example, still puts us in a damned awkward position. Vladimir Putin has put on an almighty show of military fireworks, most obviously when Assad invited Putin into Syria to fight against American-backed...

America knows Gen. James Mattis as a character, Mad Dog Mattis, the font of funny quotes and Chuck Norris-caliber memes. Those of us who served with him know that he is a caring, erudite, warfighting general. We also know that there is a reason he uses the call-sign Chaos: he is a lifelong student of his profession, a devotee of maneuver warfare and Sun Tzu, the sort of guy who wants to win without fighting—to cause chaos among those he would oppose.

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis to be secretary of defense, nominating a former senior military officer who led operations across the Middle East to run the Pentagon less than four years after he hung up his uniform, according to people familiar with the decision.

President-elect Donald J. Trump is picking up the pace with his cabinet and top White House staff choices, and despite the fervent wishes of some Democrats that views expressed during the campaign would be moderated after the election, the new administration’s team is maintaining a decidedly conservative bent. Up next, secretary of defense? A retired Marine for defense secretary? James N. Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, will meet the president-elect at Mr. Trump’s New Jersey country club on Saturday to discuss the post of defense secretary, according to two people close to the transition team.Conservatives this spring had...

A former brigadier general revealed on Fox News Monday some new information about the White House's role in U.S. Central Command's skewing of intelligence to downplay the threats of ISIS and Al Qaeda. Last week, a House Republican task force concluded in a 15-page report that U.S. military leaders altered intelligence reports "to paint a rosier picture" of the U.S.-led fight against ISIS than intelligence analysts believed was warranted. The report blamed “structural and management changes” at the intelligence directorate for the distortions, but stopped short of explaining WHY the changes were made. According to Defense News, "the problems followed...

Greg Nash Mitt Romney, the GOP’s 2012 nominee, is among those courting prospects for a possible third-party bid to keep Donald Trump from the White House, according to a Washington Post report . Among those prospects are Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), one of Trump’s most vocal Republican critics, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who suspended his presidential campaign in early May. Kasich’s chief strategist John Weaver said the governor isn’t interested in running an an independent. A Sasse spokesman declined to comment. But it’s not looking to good for a late in the game third-party bid, according to the...