Letters to My Congressman (8)

Gary Cohn, gone. Rex Tillerson, gone. General John Kelly, gone. General H.R. McMaster, gone. And now, General James Mattis, gone.

These were supposed to be the adults in the room, the men who would be the guardrails of this infantile narcissistic presidency, the people with experience and common sense that would counteract the inexperience and outlandish ignorance of this reality-TV show host with whom our nation is sadly saddled as president in these perilous times.

But they are all now gone. I provide you with the unprecedentedly worded resignation letter of General Mattis below. It is well worth reading closely to understand how deeply this general, held high in esteem by Democrats and Republicans, was offended by the childish and ignorant decisions of this current administration. Evidently the recent reckless decisions to withdraw troops by tweet from Syria and Afghanistan was too much for the war-schooled general to bear. The president’s childish disdain for working constructively with our long-standing allies, but rather instead, childishly acting impetuously alone on the world stage, were also factors in his decision to leave the room. Evidently the adult Mattis could not stand supervising the child in the White House a moment longer.

So while our nation is left with an unchecked child leading us in the White House, the requirement that Congress step up and do its constitutional duty like adults is all the more critical. So the question becomes: will you finally begin to act like an adult and responsibly perform for your country your constitutional duty to oversee the actions of this impetuous immature presidency or will you childishly, ignorantly, and foolishly follow the selfish interests of your political Party? For it is obvious that your Party has over the last two years consistently failed to live up to their adult responsibilities to check the infantile predilections of this selfish and self-serving presidency.

However, your recent vote to shut down the government to satisfy the child in the playpen that the White House has become and his infantile desire for a big wall does not give me much confidence that you will rise to your adult responsibilities. In yet another fit of childish impetuosity today, the president (whom you supported in the 2016 election) has childishly threatened to shut down the entire southern border if he doesn’t get his desired toy wall, despite the fact that such an unprecedented move would cause incredible undue economic hardship to millions of American and Mexican citizens. And what was the response today from you and your Party to this idiotic threat likened to a baby holding his breath to get its way? The response is the deafening silence of complicity.

Thankfully, your vote in the House of Representatives has been rendered mostly impotent due to the fact that the American people spoke so loudly in the November, 2018 election and passed the control of the House of Representatives to the Democratic Party in a resounding wave election. I have hope now that the new Democratic Congress under the wise leadership of the experienced Nancy Pelosi will rise to the occasion, be the adults in the room, and begin to exercise their constitutional duty to rein this president in so that the office of the presidency will no longer be sullied by the excesses of this childish and selfish man who occupies the White House. The only question is: will you join the Democrats as they finally become the adults in the room and maturely exercise their constitutional responsibilities?

And speaking of children, we have learned this week that yet another innocent child asylum seeker, a mere 8 years old, has died at the border in the custody of this administration. How many more children must die before the remaining adults in the room act responsibly? When will you too be the adult in the room to do the right thing for our country and humanity?
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Dear Mr. President:

I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department's business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO's 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model - gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions - to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

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. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability Within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

James N. Mattis