Forty percent of my neighbors want America burned to GRAY ASH! Make America Gray Ash! Not one of them has been able to explain why, they just do. Yes, they hate me and want to burn our collective houses down around my ears so I can't live there any more. But they can't tell me why, good reason or bad. Burn, baby, burn.
Trump is a symptom, not the disease. Having been a Republican years ago, I hate to say that conserfacism is the disease. Only a tiny minority will enjoy ruling the Fascist States of America, the rest will stand in stupification, wondering, "What have we done?"
These are good times to be really old.
170
Semper Fi!
22
Even “mad dogs” get fleas when they lie down with mangey curs.
Mattis would serve the country well by fully disclosing what a mutt is currently residing in this nations highest office.
Anything less smacks of cowardice.
Semper fi?
91
David you’ve given sainthood status to a man you’ve never even met!
Plus since you’ve never been ensconced in the military chain of command, you REALLY don’t know what you are talking about.
I met General Mattis when my friend, now a 2 star USAF general who served as adjunct to SecDef Bob Gates also served previously as a colonel under General Jim “Chaos” Mattis in two tours in Iraq. And the nickname Chaos was derogatory. Like Trump he thrived in chaos which was the LAST thing the troops serving under him needed!
The SecDef slot is for a civilian. It’s so we have balance between the Pentagon and citizens. Trump REALLY wanted to be surrounded by Generals in civilian slots so he had Congress waive the requirement that the Secretary of Defense be at least 7 years out of active duty.
Mattis should have rejected the position as he was NOT a civilian but an active duty Marine officer! This showed that he did NOT understand how our democracy works--the checks and balances--instead we almost had a military coup.
He even admitted that he ignored his Commander-in-Chief’s direct order to assassinate Assad of Syria. Instead he agreed..then told an aide “We’re not going to do that!” WHAT A COWARD! Oh sure it was an illegal order but Mr. Marine General DESPITE his hagiography didn’t have the guts to tell Trump NO! and why! As a vet I have zero respect for him.
David, read Admiral McRaven’s textbook on JSOC. He dared Trump to drop his security clearance as Trump did to Brennan!
86
We have to ask what the reason was for Mattis to publish this book at this point in his career, not after leaving service but after leaving the Trump White House. It may be more an exercise to salvage his reputation than to alert the country he loves that there is an idiot mad man with unfettered rights of access to nuclear weapons. We know allies are vital, we know honor and courage are universally good values. We know Mattis served his country well and true.
What we need to know are the details that will allow us to protect America and the planet from further insidious destruction. These details may allow the 25th Amendment and an impeachment process the set of facts necessary to defend all the things Mattis believes in.
77
"If you haven't read hundreds of books you are functionally illiterate." One would have thought Mattis was writing about our president. We are governed by perhaps the only modern functionally illiterate President, one who loves the poorly educated (white) in America because they are him. The American democratic system, when controlled by the poorly educated, clearly can produce previously unforeseen levels of incompetent leadership.
77
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you,” Mattis and West write."
I wonder what the last book Trump read was, and when he read it...?
42
One word: Obama
37
I think these lines from the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil" would fit on Trump's tombstone someday:
"Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint"
Taking children from their parents and sending kids undergoing cancer treatment away...indeed, Beelzebub itself!
46
Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer;
Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.
— "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot" by Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
20
All you say about both Trump & Mattis is true. But....
He might have been a great and learned individual. He might have exhibited great moral fiber in his development.
It's sad Mattis traded in that moral equity for the opportunity to work with 45 and backed out once the game got rough.
This book and the one he promises in the future that will detail this current hell in human history may be good for his soul, but it does nothing for the damage he's been a party to.
Not to comment on a sitting President? That's the least of your problems, Jim.
As Dante pointed out, true Absolution will be much more costly.
34
I didn’t realize an omerta code was an official part on the constitutional oath...
Speak up, Matthias, or you are just as complicit.
79
Well if you’re expecting a big word dump on trump from Jim Mattis you’re just looking for another weakling Mueller report. Jim, if you really got something to say then run for President. You got my vote.
6
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you." - Jim Mattis. We have a POTUS who demands a coloring book national security briefing each morning. It is well beyond time for a military coup de tat. Time for the Marines to step up (the rest of the military is not going to do it).
11
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you,” Mattis and West write.
A lesson for all of America.
31
Dear David Brooks -
Content and slant aside, your mind is a mysterious wonder and its fruits a gift to all.
8
Gen. Mattis, the American people need to know the inner workings of OUR government, before it is completely taken from us.
You too, along with every other person who served their country took an oath to protect and defend the United States against ALL enemies, and to defend the Constitution of the United States of America.
We have become exactly who Thomas Paine worried we’d become, an aristocracy. Laws written by the rich, for the rich. The common man be damned.
38
Mr. Brooks wrote an entire article without blaming democrats or evil liberals for something. No false equivalencies or what-aboutsims. Slow clapping....
To Mr. Mattis. Run as a Republican and save the country.
14
MOST ABSURD STATEMENT EVER:
"Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
If they don't know by now, there is *zero* chance that hearing from Mattis is going to change their minds!
65
Silly puff piece. Mattis watched the entire 2016 Trump campaign and knew what he was getting into. Didn't say a word about Trump's racist bullying then, hasn't said a word about it now. Trump rewarded Mattis handily with bloated Pentagon budgets and Maddis only left when Trump pursued a more restrained track in Syria. Now he writes a self-fawning book and predictably gets lavish praise from the so-called "moderate" right. Meanwhile, day to day, there are activists in the streets, in the courts, and in the universities sacrificing themselves to prevent the further ascension of the radical right and people like Brooks condescend to them. Trump is the great trough that the American right keeps feeding off.
47
If Trump is truly and dangerously unfit to occupy the presidency (as I think he is) and Mattis was witness to it then he needs to speak out. If, unlike William Barr, Mattis cares about his legacy he needs to do it now.
43
The man Trump wishes he were is Obama.
72
I'm a seventh-grade public school teacher in Los Angeles, and I am printing and posting the following quote on my classroom wall for all my students to see:
"If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren't broad enough to sustain you."
I'll also be reading Mattis's and West's book as soon as it comes out.
18
Trump lacks the prerequisite to being a man: one first needs to be an adult.
20
I doubt if and when General Mattis decides to tell us what he observed while he was defense secretary that many people will want to listen to him.
The members of the Trump Cult will automatically tune him out; those opposed to Trump will wonder why Mattis should be believed now, when he was dumb enough to take the job in the first place.
19
Hard as it is to write this....Mattis and others should join (gulp) Scaramucci in full throated condemnation of Trump and his sycophants.
Surely by now there is a consensus on the road to ruin Trump has America on. Seems basic citizenship to save your shining city on the hill?
9
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you,” . To my knowledge Donald Trump has never mentioned or tweeted about a single book he has read. Illiterate and incompetent. I guess Fox News and Twitter can make you a stable genius.
With that said, Mattis, Kelly, Tillerson etc all have a greater responsibility than their friends in the administration. It is to the country. The oaths they took are still in place. I hope they speak out directly like James Comey and Robert Mueller.
16
Interesting take on General Mattis. Known as a Marine's Marine, he pushed his soldiers to read, read, read and to engage the space between their ears before engaging their weapons. For me he is the very definition of walking softly and carrying a lethal stick. It is too bad he thought he could help this empty vessel of a President. Trump is a case study in narcissism and a diseased brain dressed in a tacky red tie and ill fitting suit.
Trump wishes he had the love, intellect, looks, presence and swagger of his predecessor and he surrounded himself with men and some women for whom he deeply wishes their finest qualities would flow onto and over him. We now know such an infusion will never take with this man for whom has lived in a sunken place for so long it is literally a few inches deep but in actuality it affects everyone around him like a star sucking black hole. I often wondered why men and women with such distinguished careers in public service would ever think they could move this mess pile? and why they didn't look around and the other players in his orbit and questioned how they gained entrance into our White House?
We are seeing the on the economy, trade, national, international, climate, gun control, immigration, LGBTQ, cultural, religious, education, healthcare as a husband, father, man and care for his sacred duties as the President that Trump is like a new recruit who has emptied all the rounds in his weapons and now cannot fight the wolves closing in.
13
David Brooks goes over the moon for Jim Mattis! Sorry David, but Mattis chose to work for a sorry man and will be forever tainted by it.
29
Lets be real here Mattis worked for a serial liar and a cheat. He allowed the use of his beloved military to be involved in internal politic at the boarder. His position in the cabinet wasn't a call to duty it showed him for exactly who he is a little man with a self absorbed image of himself. It all the years he was in the military they haven't won a war which is his profession.
9
Actually, the only person that Trump wants to be is.... Fred Trump.
11
Would the General consider serving as the Dem's VP candidate? I'd work hard for a Biden-Mattis ticket, or a Klobuchar-Mattis ticket, or even a Warren-Mattis ticket. Heck, at this point, I'd work hard for a Lassie-Alfred E. Newman ticket. Anything to save America from the scourge and disaster of the treasonous Trump and McConnell.
22
Thanks Mr. Brooks for a good read.
4
Get real. If Mattis had a steel backbone he would call Trump out as the liar and fraud he is.
28
Mattis is an exemplary human being; Trump is a Malignant Narcissist.
4
This is nonsense.
The man Our President wishes he were is Donald Trump of 2006. The year he not only fathered a son but also cavorted with a porn star and had a centerfold on the side. At age 60. Talk about virility.
If you're an older white man who sees his agency waning, Trump60 is your idol.
But 2006 was a long time ago. Read the subtext of today's soundbites and tweets: Our President is increasingly desperate to mask his, er, infirmity.
14
Colin Powell served honorably but will be most remembered for a cartoon presentation to the UN leading us into another unnecessary war and getting my neighbor’s kid killed. These guys, excluding Flynn...same deal. All, excluding Flynn, good men who, after decades of honorable service will be included in the chapter describing the Trump “presidency”. Tis pity, tis. And tis pity tis, tis true...
10
The man Trump wishes he were: Obama
18
one word for Mattis: milquetoast.
12
Trump even cheats at the one thing he purports to love - golf! He is a hollow, soulless, meanspirited, uncurious, cartoon villain of a human being.
25
Excellent opinion piece, Mr. Brooks!
Your title makes no sense. Trump does not wish to be anyone else but Trump.
6
Mattis obviously missed the fact that he enlisted in the cult of personality.
9
In the Bible satan is described as something jealous of Love, both given and received..... It is beyond satan's capacity, and it motivates a seething, relentless contempt for others, and an insatiable desire to demean.... lies are the weapon of choice.
trump was adequately forecast in the Bible's wisdom. And the correct response to him, too, is there.
Reject lies. Reject hate. Unequivocally. Unyieldingly.
13
One thing that is clear is that Mattis has way too much character to have written a column like this one — about Mattis and intellect, but revealing such a raw emotional attitude in the author about the President of the country.
Trump wants to be Trump. Trump loves being Trump. If Mattis were so great, where are his mansions and golf courses, and string of ex-wives and paid off women?
There's zero indication Trump wants to be Mattis. Trump had his chance to be drafted, he declined 4 times. Trump had his chance to listen to and follow Mattis' advice, instead he trashed our NATO allies and sucked up to Putin. Sure, Trump would like some of Mattis' medals, but he's never shown any inclination to sacrifice himself to any higher cause other than himself.
When someone tells you who they are, believe them.
14
Do narcissists wish they were someone else?
17
Well said!
1
How did a man like Jim Mattis get caught up in Trump's cesspool? The mania was on full display.
5
You mean "Rocket Man"? Or Putin?
2
Such principles and character! Yes, I almost got knocked over by Mattis’s gigantic halo while trying to genuflect.
Please, Brooks. If Mattis had half the principles and character you ascribe to him, then he would be telling Americans just what an evil, demented danger Trump poses to the world, and he would be doing so in the plain language with which they need to hear it. That, instead of writing another useless book on military “leadership”.
I am quite sure the NY Times won’t post this comment, but these points still need to be made, however inconvenient they are.
28
insightful as ever...…...thank you
1
Barack Hussein Obama!!
6
If the truth is sacred, why do these "great" men not speak it when it is most-needed. Mattis sounds like the antithesis of Trump, who seems to believe only what he believes and tries to shift reality to his version instead of considering reality and adjusting. No wonder Trump's administration is a chaotic revolving door, unable to agree with each other let alone posit an argument, instead of ad hominem attacks, against their opposition.
11
Trump does not aspire, he strives. He seems on a relentless battle to ward off the disdain he knows he deserves. His bluster, bullying and rally posturing are a cover up.
He picks a policy decision for personal gain or an appearance of strength, with no pause to acquire knowledge or wise advice. The advice he values is marketing- from FOX's Hannity, Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Miller; all aimed to stoke up his base.
He has never reformed, revised, regretted or learned from experience (the hallmark of mental health).
Too bad Mattis doesn't balance his Marine loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief with loyalty to the American people; candor soon is essential.
12
The cynical part of me believes that Mattis's silence since leaving the Trump administration is so that he could write a book and make some money from the experience. If Mattis were a true patriot, he would come forward NOW with his criticisms of Trump as a leader. I have no doubt that, once Trump leaves office, there will be a flood of tell-all books coming from so-called concerned patriots. Those delaying a reckoning of this admin for profit are no better than the pathetic leader they served.
15
At the start of his presidency Trump surrounded himself with 'a certain sort of ramrod military man' because he thought it would somehow rub off on him. Instead, it quickly became clear that this stark contrast just made him look even worse than he already was. So they had to go. Replaced by yes men and women, whose main job is keeping the man child happy, at whatever cost to themselves, the country and its security. It's a plain as day to anybody paying half way attention. If America somehow reelects Trump, it deserves it.
12
"Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
We needed Mueller's candor as well and we didn't get it. From what I read, many Republicans in the House and Senate privately loathe Trump. We need them to publicly loathe Trump. All of these people are A.W.O.L. It's a shame. it may turn out to be a disgrace.
16
45 doesn't want to be a man. He'd have no idea how to do that. He lives as a child with "me, me, me" as his center. A. dark and scary psychological vortex. He can't fathom a man of Mattis character. If Mattis was a man who truly loved this country, he would open his mouth and tell the world of the trouble we are in right now. I appreciate the leaning towards a military code, but now is not the time to keep silent.
14
Talk about projection. Trump has never said a word to the effect that he wishes he were a man of character.
Given Brooks' "The Road to Character" book one can make an educated guess that Brooks wishes Brooks himself were like Mattis or McRaven.
5
Trump has a critical misunderstanding of what true power really is. He believes that power comes from fear - that having people afraid of you gives you power over them to make them do what you want. But that's not power at all - that's just ugly and crude brute force. True power is when people know they don't HAVE to do what you ask, they just choose to, out of respect and trust.
Mattis has true power. All Trump has is people that are afraid of the consequences of crossing him. That's why so many ultimately walk away from him - eventually they do the math and decide whatever wrath he may reign down on them for leaving is better than continuing to work for someone they don't have a shred of respect for.
9
Trump would needed to been imbued with those characteristics as a young man and at very least guided by a person of moral and ethical standards; scratch 2.
2
During the Iraq war I delivered training in leadership to Marines at various bases including Parris Island, Lejeune, and the Recruiting Depot at San Diego. I wish I could express the deep affection I came to feel for these brave, self-effacing men and women. When I was in a room full of them I palpably felt their patriotism, you know, the kind for which some of them were shortly to give their lives.
It was profoundly personal. Their love of country came across as love of me, an American deserving of their protection. I felt safe, shielded, in their presence.
They taught me how to emit the gutteral intonation meant to bond them to their sisters and brothers, meant to warn enemies to be very afraid.
My final series of sessions was held at Walter Reid, where I encountered those whose love of country was paid out in limbs lost, abilities depleted. Almost too much to bear, realizing what these kids bore for me.
Please, please, never compare them in any particular to the being currently occupying the White House.
21
General Grant’s decision to follow his loyalty to his home state of Virginia rather than the greater good was a disaster for the United States of America and the lives of half a million of its citizens. Genera Mattis has the potential to alter the course of history by standing up to the unhinged, quasi dictator , who is destroying America.
7
Sorry, one does not dishonor the office of the president by calling out the reprobate occupant. On the contrary, it is a failure of character and a disservice to the nation.
8
Brooks: moistened finger in the air checking wind direction. “Oh Trump polls sliding. Okay I’ll be less apologetic for him and more Republican establishment again.” Except that Republican establishment is dead and replaced with Soviet-Republican. Sorry Mr. Brooks, you’re two years too late.
12
It would be instructive to hear "Mad Dog" Mattis's comment on the statement by Smedley Butler about being "a gangster for capitalism." My guess is that if Mattis recognized himself at all in Butler's self-portrait, he would not be willing to admit it. The difference between Trump's and earlier administrations' exercise of military power is that of the difference between a skillful and an inept one.
2
“Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief.”
Sorry, but I have always been able to make that judgment on my own, with the evidence of that wretched man on flagrant display before my eyes. Any voters who still need someone else to show them how to think about Tweetboy cannot be persuaded to adapt to reality.
9
Mattis for president in 2020 -- as an independent candidate teamed with a moderate Democrat -- a pair to reunite the nation.
2
Just remember Mr. Brooks, what we will never forget: Trump is YOUR president, from YOUR party, the REPUBLICAN PARTY, the party you have championed, supported, excused and apologized for for the past 40 years. Far from an anomaly, Trump is the apotheosis of Republicanism and all it stands for: racism, chicken hawk militarism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, anti-intellectualism, demonization and slandering of opponents, election rigging; rank, blatant, in your face corruption, and lying and hypocrisy on a grand scale. He just blurts out loud what all Republicans say after a few bourbons at the club, when the doors are closed and the immigrant help is our of earshot. (Mitt Romney's 47% - remember that?) If anything, Jim Mattis is the opposite of anything Trumpian and anything Republican, and your pious articles about him and other anti-Trumpers will not obviate or wash away your decades old support of this criminal organization pretending to be a political party, who's only goal is reducing the American people to serfs on behalf of their true owners, the Kochs and other assorted plutocrats and corporate masters. Again: YOUR party, Mr. Brooks, and YOUR president.
27
Putin is the man Trump wishes he were.
Mattis is the man you wish him to be David.
And Trump voters also prefer Putin.... a tribal leader, who gives lip services to one group of Americans directly thrilled by poking a needle in the eye of the rest of America, even as he proceeds to rob them blind.
7
Hardly, David. Trump only wishes his hands were big, hugely big, bigger than anyone else's anywhere, anytime.
That is all.
2
Secretary Mattis took an oath to the Constitution and the American People, not to the President. Perhaps it's time to actually live up to that oath and tell us what actually happened in the White House while he was there.
11
Not one word here about the death and devestation Mattis sense of service resulted in.
2
I'd written this comment earlier but canceled it. Now, after hearing the usual nanner-nanner on "1 A" that Mr. Mattis owes it the public to take a stand, I'll write it. I strongly suspect that Mr. Mattis's eyes are turned toward what could happen after the Nov 2020 election if Pres Trimp loses the Electoral College vote. There is the prospect of a crazed lame duck President/CinC still in office during a 10-week transition, and even the possibility that Pres Trimp may refuse to accept the outcome and leave office. Then, Mr Mattis's experience in the administration would provide a particularly good basis for privately advising the leaders of the armed forces and others in the administration. And that advice would be most persuasive if it comes from someone who has been above and out of the political fray after leaving the administration. Thus, it would make sense for Mr Mattis to hold his fire now. As to the nannering in the media, stop looking for yet another savior to call out Pres Trimp and, by doing so, accomplish what? Let's instead work for good turnout and a full vote count in Nov 2020, and be ready for anything until we're past inauguration day in mid-January 2021.
10
"Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard." Oh, so painfully true. Well said, David. Well said.
6
Trump surrounded himself with these men as camouflage, not because he wants to be like them. He is quite happy to be a shill.
3
I disagree with the headline.
The SCP does not want to be Mattis, he just wants to be seen as Mattis, while he continues in his irrational, impulsive, ignorant, racist, misogynist ways. He claims that he is and dares anyone to disagree.
And he has proven that for about 40% of the population his brand of lies works.
3
Not getting tainted?!? Surely he is tainted for not revealing the truth about Trump and helping that con man charlatan take our country down a ruinous road. Another magnificent career destroyed by Trump. Sorry no respect for Mattis anymore.
4
Everyone of good character who has served in this despicable administration needs to go public with how dysfunctional Trump is. Preibus, Cohen, Tillerson, etc. Jeff Sessions needs to unload, especially after his shameful treatment by the boss. Even the corrupt ones like Tom Price and Ryan Zinke, need to unload. Full disclosure, everyone. Come on, Hope Hicks. The country is in peril.
6
Mattis owed it to the country to speak up, loud and clear, while he was IN the administration. He swore to uphold the Constitution, NOT loyalty to potus. Those who left potus for one reason or another should be condemned, not lauded, for they repeatedly enabled this potus and remained silent.
6
So Mattis is going to someday tell us all that Trump is a bad President? I'd venture to guess that we already know that.
6
A good Marine follows orders. But when your superior officer is unfit for command, he has an responsibility to report his shortcomings. And to whom? The American people & Congress--well before the 2020 election.
9
"Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard."
Perhaps the best line you've ever written Mr. Brooks.
8
Mr. Brooks:
You have always been good at telling others how to act. In this case both you and Mr. Goldberg step up to the ramparts in an attempt to bully Gen. Mattis in an attempt to redeem your past support for the fraudulent ideas that helped set the stage for Donald Trump's election.
Carry your own water and apologize for your support of grand notions like the invasion of Iraq. Gen. Mattis has given a lifetime of service. Allow him to make his own judgments
about his legacy. I doubt that anything he has to say will dissuade a single Trumo voter.
What service have you or Mr. Goldberg ever signed up for? It seems to me that you are asking Gen. Mattis to defend us from your bad judgments... again. You can do more and should. Get off the fence and join the battle.
7
Donald Trump has the mind of an infant who has just learned that he can exert control over others for his own gratification. It’s what a three month old learns when he tosses a toy out of his crib and finds that his mother will pay attention to him, fetch the toy and return it.
Trump’s character has scarcely developed beyond that. He was born with wealth and is firmly convinced he deserves it because he has ‘the best genes,’ as his father Fred — a follower of the racist ‘eugenics’ popular before WW II - told little Donald. He was an impulsive, ill-behaved, selfish adolescent, who grew up to be a narcissistic, bombastic, dictatorial ‘businessman.’ He failed at business because he pursued reckless, grandiose schemes without regard to financial risk. It was always about his personal aggrandizement and the personal gratification he obtains from the exercise of power, not about ‘business.’
After serial bankruptcies, Trump stumbled upon his true calling: TV ‘celebrity.’ He became the simulacrum of a businessman - and the “Trump brand” was born. He soon discovered that like throwing a toy out of the crib, “Trump” could provoke a reaction from millions by tossing off insults, by crass, ostentatious display of the trappings of wealth, by shouting unspeakable things. He’s like a child who just learned a few new swear words.
As “President,” he exercises power for the sheer thrill of it. There is no policy or plan. There is only “TRUMP,” his whims and the power of the Oval Office.
13
Sorry - but again( as usual) David plays psychologist( just write better) and consult .Yet Jonathan’s blog comments here highlight a true profile of Trump - however not Mattis ( a hidden, complex, stalwart guardian of our country).
3
Wait. General Mattis thought the war in Iraq was crazy, but decided his duty was to help kill thousands of innocent people and allow America's finest to die on a useless battlefield...and that's a good thing?
I guess in that library of 7,000 books he's read, Jim Mattis can find an excuse for anything.
If this man will allow innocents to die because a past Commander in Chief ordered him to do so, don't expect him to turn on the current Commander in Chief merely on principle.
8
It occurs to me that Trump is a stunning example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. His case is spectacularly unique, because of the immense wealth and power he inherited, and because we live in a "post truth" society where his inflated sense of self worth can be exponentially amplified via social media. But in essence he is simply a person who lacks the knowledge and skill set to be a good president, and because his perspective is so limited, he's unable to grasp just how bad he is at it.
“If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you,” Mattis and West write.
This describes Trump quite accurately. But it should also state, "and you will be unaware of your own ignorance and incompetence."
7
Mattis should be the manly Marine as he is. He should consider exposing Trump as objective worth achieving. It is his patriotic duty to assist the country to prevent the second coming of the Trump as many a citizen is hypnotized votary
3
All I am reading is another Republican trying to build himself a lifeboat; same as after Bush II and Nixon train wrecks. I hear my mother in laws saying: You sleep with dogs, you get up with fleas.
5
this is the guy who left as secy of defense to go on the board of a defense contractor, general dynamics, and who sat on the board of one of the biggest frauds in american history, theranos, for FOUR years.
6
Comparing Gen. Mattis to Donald Trump is like comparing apples and cheese whiz.
1
Speak out, General. Speak the truth about the shallow, callow, ignorant president; a man of no character who happened to win an election, and who's presence in the White House poses a singular threat to our democracy.
Speak out, General. It would be the most patriotic act of your distinguished career.
5
David Brooks is among the reasons why we have trump as president.
14
Your headline writer ascribes too much introspection to Mr. Trump, and even if he were to self-reflect, he would sneer with derision at the notions of character and loyalty. Those ideas are for suckers, you see.
2
Let's forget the "wishes" and face the brutal reality that in Donald Trump we have a callous, cruel, insensitive, uncaring murderous narcissist who, dare I say it, is truly evil. Any man who would deny a now young woman the life-saving medical treatment that has kept her and others alive for the last 24 years by deporting her and thereby giving her a "death sentence" is evil. Any man would separate immigrant children, even babies, from their parents and place them in what many describe as "concentration camps" where many have died is evil. Any many who decides to engage in a vicious campaign of racist, white supremacist hate speech that prompted one of his followers to massacre 22 Hispanic shoppers in an El Paso Walmart is evil. Any man who daily announces a new attack on the environment that increases the global climate catastrophe that's upon us that has caused countless deaths as with Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rice is evil. Any man who brazenly plots to undermine the Constitution by encouraging others to commit illegal acts whether it be former F.B.I Director James Comey to free Michael Flynn and end the Russia investigation or aides to seize land for his wall with the promise of a pardon is evil. And, if we continue "to see no evil, hear no evil, or say no evil" we will only get more evil.
8
I hope to heaven he challenges Trump in 2020.
If Mattis were respectable he’d be interviewed on TV months ago and Trump would be article 25ed. End of story.
9
“There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever.”
What a great attitude! The country is on fire, but I'm not going to say anything. Though maybe I may someday. When I feel like it.
In fact, before forever comes I most probably could or will break my lofty, priestly, arrogant silence and tell somebody that the country no longer exists.
Well, Mattis might as well save it. He will only reiterate what most of the world already knows.
But thanks anyway. Thanks to all good old boys. Thanks to the GOP who nurtured the likes of frump into office.
And very special thanks to all the current catatonic republicans who can't break their silence just quite yet even though they certainly know frump is a dodo lunatic nightmare forcing the country into catastrophe, be it fiscal collapse or war or both at once.
They all have a lot to answer for.
15
Mattis's oath was to the country, not to this president. Mattis's loyalty should be to the nation, not to this president or this administration. Mattis's failure to serve the nation and speak forthrightly about the chaos, dysfunction, and illegality of this president and this administration is entirely on his shoulders.
8
Donald Trump was enrolled at the New York Military Academy from age 13 to senior graduation.
1
All the signs say Trump wants to be king, not a general.
4
Probably Gen. Jim Mattis is who Mr. Trump would like to be seen as such by the American public because he's well respected, trustworthy, strong, intelligent, and principled. Mr. Trump, IMO, just want to be outsmart everyone else, outside his family and loyalists, and be worshiped and feared by the public as an omnipotent and omniscient god, just like any Roman tyrants did. He wants his words to be admired, accepted, and be executed instantly, without being questioned, scrutinized, criticized, fact-checked, corrected, dismissed, or even ridiculed. Period. He has the God complex. He has been in such position for too long, empowered and enabled by his family money, some corrupt and cowardly office holders and politicians within/out the system (a.k.a. institution). He (and his father) bought them through mob-style coercive tactics and behind-the-door dealings. He only believes in $$, the material god. As POTUS, he wanted to be seen as a strong and good leader by surrounding himself with reputed military leaders who has embodied the chain-of-command, would-be loyalists only to the commander-in-chief. He fooled himself. Since then, the Real Trump took over and filled his cabinet with Wall-Street capitalists ($$) and power-hungry sycophants. Trump calls those Jim Mattis types "losers." Go figure! He wishes to be their God and worshiped as such. His Tower of Babel has overreached. IMO.
2
Well, shouldn’t one, like yourself be even kinder to one who has lost all faith and trust in man? Sorry, but I just wrote for Timothy Egan, I’ve seen what some call good these days.
Trump doesn't wish he were Mattis.
He wishes he were Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president who murders "suspected" drug users -- or anyone -- at will, using motorcycle assassins.
Or he wishes he were the Dapper Don, John Gotti, a ruthless murderer.
NEVER in his life did Drumpf ever wish he were a straight-laced military general.
5
About the only positive thing in this article is the headline writer's correct usage of the subjunctive tense.
Sure, Mad Dog Mattis is no lame-brain, self-hating, U.S. Democracy-destroyer like Trump, but let's not forget who he is at his core: a War Monger among war mongers; an anachronism in today's reality of the need for diplomacy and negotiation on the international stage.
3
It's just like Brooks to sing the praises of a man whose life was dedicated to killing innocents.
1
I expect I will get blasted for this but ...
While everyone waxes nostalgic for General Mattis, I would like to point out he seems to have a large issue with being manipulated by nefarious characters who prey on his vanity.
Two examples:
1. Donald Trump - It should have been obvious to Mattis that Trump would eat his soul (to paraphrase James Comey). Trump played to his ego as he does with all his lackeys. Mattis justified it by his duty to save America.
2. E. Holmes and Theranos - She totally rolled him by appealing to his ego and greed. https://www.vox.com/2018/3/16/17124288/mattis-theranos-board-trump
Americans love their generals.
5
Michael Flynn, on the other hand, was a venal narcissist who seems never to have learned right from wrong. Somehow, he managed to escape prison.
1
Very well done!
Will he share all the info. after Trump/Putin subvert the upcoming election or wait until after Trump's second term of who knows what level of destruction? David, please explain in your tortured rationalizing wing nut enabling "traditional" republican way why Mattis is a man of "character" again.
3
We should get Mattis to seek the Republican nomination...
I can never forget that you, David Brooks, helped elect this guy. Your constant need to present false equivalencies in your columns preceding the election were tantamount to endorsement. All for party over country.
15
it's unbelievable now how every topic reverts to (President) Trump bashing...
Trump does not wish he was Mattis. Trump wishes he was Putin. Trump does not think America or democracy is great.
He thinks an authorian state is great, one where a leader wish is his populations' command.
Trump is the man who would be King.
5
David,
We know you as a long time conservative and Republican. What I want to read from you is the acknowledgment that :
The Republican Party has become the party of PIG(s) - Party of ignorant gents.
Also, a repudiation of everything Trump would go well too.
4
‘Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.’
- Jim Mattis
Unless you are prepared to do the job, don't pretend you know how. Trump has no idea what a soldier is, or has to do.
2
Donald Trump is precisely the man he has always wanted to be. Michael Flynn! Michael Flynn? Well, three out of four isn't bad.
Mr. Brooks, here we are---no more adults in the room, absolutely none---just how our character in the Oval Office likes it.
1
Forget Mattis, the man Trump wants to be is Obama.
4
One of these men has no admirable character traits whatsoever and it is not Jim Mattis.
1
Comparing Jim Mattis to Trump is like comparing Johnny Unitas to Johnny Manziel.
Trump - How did we not see this coming?
3
Donald Trump is a narcissistic black hole that consumes and destroys everything in its path. That is he has a negative character resulting from this mental illness (called Narcissistic Personality Disorder by the American Psychiatric Association). And, while we all have "wishes" for a positive, mentally sound character like Jim Mattis. We must stop fantasizing, stop wishing, and realize that what we are witnessing can only be described as evil.
4
Do you really need the General's perspective?
I don't. =
2
I am sick of virtues such as "courage, toughness, [and] combativeness" expressed as "manly."
Obviously, they are the province of women, too.
Some current examples are: Elizabeth Warren, Christine Blasey Ford, Greta Thunberg, AOC, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
9
The real question is what was Flynn, and how did a white supremacist establish himself at a high level in government?
2
Approximately 88% of Republicans approve of Trump’s performance and are perfectly willing to accept the risks to our democratic institutions, if they perceive any, which his presidency represents. Mattis speaking out might help Mattis clear his conscience for even accepting a role in Trump’s administration, but it will do nothing to sway anyone who believes in Trump. What Brooks seems to miss is that Mattis’ silence is no different than Brooks still calling himself a Republican. They both think the country and the party can be rescued if they do not rock the boat too much. It’s easy for Brooks to describe for us Trump’s failings, but it means nothing. As for Trump, he probably gets great pleasure having intellectuals like Brooks be so ineffective. For Brooks to show the kind of character he attributes to Mattis, he would have to be equally critical of those 88% and of all the spineless politicians who out of some warped sense of self-interest are hell bent on holding on to power at any cost. It’s time for Brooks to see beyond Trump as the villain, and call out the fact that the entire Republican party to which Brooks still subscribes is corrupt, anti-democratic and willing to endanger the entire planet to maintain their sense of privilege, their love of status and their wealth.
10
Speak out soon and boldly General Mattis, about the man-child occupying the White House who lacks character, disrespects our institutions, degrades the office and shames America.
A more appropriate headline would be Jim Mattis is the man we wish Donald Trump were
Not going to happen !
2
Trump wants desperately to be President Obama. It irks him that a black man could be more intelligent, more professional, more compassionate, more erudite than he is. Mattis and Trump probably have racism in common, so I'll give him that.
5
Would you prefer a plumber who can fix your pipes but cheats on his wife or a faithful plumber who can't do anything about the leaks?
Could anyone besides Trump have beaten Hillary? I think not. Would anyone else even try to do something about illegal immigration, bad trade deals or endless wars? I think not.
To me, Trump is the flawed centurion who stands watch over the congregation while the pagan barbarians are trying to break down the doors.
1
Trump was never shy about what he thought about our so called allies so why did Mattis even take the job? His mistake.
Moreover, what do we do about allies who don't pay their fare share, run up huge trade deficits against us and oppose us on issues like how to deal with Iran? Maybe, they really aren't allies. I am not sure if Mattis addresses these issues which won't go away regardless of who is in charge.
Mattis served his country honorably, but in the end it is the elected President not the appointed Secretary of Defense who will determine the course.
Mattis would have been better off just fading away like a much better general did some years ago.
I always feel that David missed his calling as a professor of philosophy at Harvard or Yeshiva U.'s. I always appreciate these columns, because they show his extensive readings in the humanities, some genuine food for thought here.
Someone elsewhere has recently written that former staff of #45 like Mattis, Mc Master, all of those ex-military and those with integrity who were fired or resigned under Trump, should get together as one and present an accurate portrait of the "gonef" they worked for, which is what David prescribes here. I agree 100%. The Wizard of Oz needs to be exposed for the fraud and danger that he is, well before the next election.
2
"Mattis barely mentions Trump in this book, and doesn’t describe what must have been one of the truly challenging tasks of his life — working under Trump without getting tainted."
Reading Mr. Brooks' columns, I wonder what kind of character is formed by being the Times's token "conservative" voice, and then bashing Trump just like any other Times "resistance" acolyte? No worry about being "tainted."
Mr. Brooks's analysis of "Trump's character compared to Mattis" leaves out some facts.
It is not to take away from Mattis to note that, as a bachelor, he was never married but to the Corps. We need men like him. But we also need men who raise families, no matter how you judge Trump's family. Trump's family seems to be "loyal" to Trump. Perhaps that's not "real loyalty" to Brooks, but it is to many.
While we need soldiers, and to hold a "front line," we also need builders. And building in NYC is often a gritty, dirty business, just like politics. While war is hell, someone has to rebuild. Trump is a type, like Mattis.
If you think you can do what Trump did, even with all the family loans, then why haven't you done it? The answer of course if that, like being a soldier, it takes a certain mental toughness and devotion to a goal, and many, many, ups and downs.
I respect Mattis. But it was Trump had the courage to move the American embassy to Jerusalem.
It is a different kind of courage and toughness. And if you can't see it, you'll be seeing Trump for another four years.
1
Right. And I'm not going to say anything bad about Jeffrey Epstein, because he never had a trial, wasn't convicted of any of the crimes alleged against him, and I don't want to undermine efforts of those people working within the system to make the whole thing go away without embarrassing anybody important. My silence won't be eternal, but it will certainly last beyond the time when I personally might get in trouble for saying anything.
5
Anyone recall that Trump suggested he award himself the Medal of Honor and had to be talked down that cliff by aides?
I do.
For myself, there has been more than enough evidence to suggest he is unfit to be president.
I simply mention this episode for others not yet convinced.
4
I greatly value leaders like Mr. Mattis. They are devoted to the United States, and to humanity, in ways Mr. Trump can't even imagine or begin to comprehend. Mattis's reluctance to speak out is also valuable. By playing by the rules—in a way Trump cannot do—he is adding to his own credibility. Take, in contrast, Mr. Comey, who, regardless of his patriotism, played fast and loose and got nailed for it. Remember, Trump and his cronies, including Fox News, control everything right now. They will take every slip-up and magnify it 1,000 times. They will be defeated by righteous truth, when the time comes, and the time is coming sooner than most realize.
1
Is Mattis really so great? Does he deserve the praise Brooks seems to think he does? Look at a few facts: Mattis refused to directly link the Saudi Crown Prince to Jamal Khashoggi's murder, even when Republican senators were condemning it. He supported deploying thousands of troops to the Mexico border, even as pentagon leaders were complaining there was no clear scope of the mission, nor any assessment of whether there was even a threat posed by arriving migrants. He supported Trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, even though top military leaders argued there was no evidence morale was affected by their presence. And, now he keeps quiet about whatever criticism he has to offer about Trump so as not to undermine current administration employees? Come on. Mattis is no different than any other Trump flunky. He enabled Trump while he worked for him and now he's going to spend the rest of his life fighting criticism and trying to convince himself that his contributing to Trump's madness was worth it. Everyone working for Trump is tarnished. Mattis is no different.
15
@Ms. Pea
There is nothing that trump touches that doesn’t crumble to dust.
2
To the contrary, Trump undoubtedly believes Trump is the man Mattis wishes he were.
3
"Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
We didn't get to see Trump's tax returns because he knew they would be damning, and apparently the laws consider individual rights to privacy of greater importance than the nation's rights to know. If Mattis doesn't reveal Trump's potential dangers with firsthand knowledge of them, he has performed the ultimate disservice to the country, placing privacy or personal concerns above the nation's interests.
7
James Norman Mattis is a soldier's soldier. That is beyond debate. He is, however, not without sin. True, while his former Commander-in-Chief perfectly exemplifies every one of the seven deadly sins, Mr. Mattis and Mr. Trump do share the greatest sin of all: the sin of vanity.
Where Trump's vanity turns inward and corrosive, Mattis' vanity rests on his unquestioning love of the United States Marine Corps. He could never admit that his beloved Corps, and the entire modern American military industrial complex by extension, is an instrument that is woefully inadequate to the task of winning a war of counterinsurgency.
We tried it in Vietnam. We tried it in Afghanistan. We tried it in Iraq. We just aren't good at it, down to the level of the individual soldier. Perhaps if the warrior monk had left the monastery for a few years, he might have realized that.
6
"Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
Everything anyone needed to know to reach a conclusion that Trump is not fit and does not have the character to be commander in chief was available to all of us before the last election. Voters who didn't vote against him before will only vote against him next time for selfish reasons. He is in office now only because enough people have selfish reasons for keeping him there.
5
James Norman Mattis is a soldier's soldier. That is beyond debate. He is, however, not without sin. True, while his former Commander-in-Chief perfectly exemplifies every one of the seven deadly sins, Mr. Mattis and Mr. Trump do share the greatest sin of all: the sin of vanity.
Where Trump's vanity turns inward and corrosive, Mattis' vanity rests on his unquestioning love of the United States Marine Corps. He could never admit that his beloved Corps, and the entire modern American military industrial complex by extension, is an instrument that is woefully inadequate to the task of winning a war of counterinsurgency.
We tried it in Vietnam. We tried it in Afghanistan. We tried it in Iraq. We just aren't good at it, down to the level of the individual soldier. Perhaps if the warrior monk had left the monastery for a few years, he might have realized that.
1
I don't think we need more people telling us Trump is unfit for office. We need to hear from people countering the narrative that put him there. People working to bridge the divide, people who show us the beauty and value of finding common ground. People who demonstrate not the courage of battle, but the courage of love, vulnerability, and forgiveness. People who are revealing to us what "out of many, one" looks and feels like.
2
General Mattis has been loyal and silent long enough. If he truly respects institutions, he needs to speak out now for the sake of our country.
7
Enough of the flaws of Donald Trump already! We, the choir, believe it. We need to focus on how such a person can escape scrutiny before he attains such power, will it continue, and can it happen again.
4
The country faces a major crisis between now and 2025: four more years of Trump or four years of chaotic zealotry from the likesof Elizabeth Warren. As Thomas Edsall wrote recently in the Times, the Democrats are now split three ways. The sad reality is that Amy Klobuchar is the last center left candidate still standing—and unlikely to prevail against the left wing of the Party.
As in 1860, we are in desperate need of a credible third party—and a candidate with the character who can restore our sense of common destiny. As David Brooks describes his reading of the Mattis book, Mattis seems willing to take onMr. Trump in a responsible way and at the right time. If Michael Bloomberg and Howard Schultz, and other wealthy Americans could support this type of effort, it might just win. Ross Perot was ahead in 1992–until he withdrew for Bill Clinton—before returning to the race. And Perot was no James Mattis.
A ticket of Mattis and a left of center Senator or former Senator (see Claire McCaskill, Mary Landrieu, Mark Warner—or right of Center Veep like Bob Corker, Jon Huntsman, or Nikki Haley could actually “clean the stables” of our currently dysfunctional country.
Thanks David for perhaps starting a discussion on the need for a true patriot and national hero who might be able to restore our sense of common destiny instead of the identity politics of the left and the divisive populism of DonaldTrump.
2
@REM There is nothing chaotic about Elizabeth Warren.
6
Silence in the face of global destruction is cowardice. I respect those give their hearts and minds toward the betterment of the whole, but I have a hard time with blind loyalty. While the General is showing loyalty to the few, he ignores the loyalty to the future of our country. General Mattis is a good man, but he needs more clarity to rise to the challenge of making sure DJT does not gain any more time as the occupant of the White House.
10
In these military men, Trump falsely sees himself.. He thinks they are on the same level.. SO NOT TRUE. Their strength and commitment to an institution other than themselves is not transferable and cannot be gained by osmosis or proximity.. Some one please let Trump know. Surrounding himself with military men is in sharp contrast to who he really is.. Some one who is self consumed, does nothing for the greater good, unwilling to think of anyone but himself..
I wish everyone who served in his mess, who is not a sycophant, would gather together and speak out.. Loudly and clearly.. let the country know about this man.. About the danger he is. Singly, they may cause a ripple for a few days. Together, it would hammer home the point about how the country is rudderless and how America has fallen in the eyes of so many.
He targets everything Obama has done because OBAMA IS EVERYTHING HE IS NOT...brilliant, respected, studious, loved, compassionate, good, kind, unselfish.
Trump will NEVER BE A SPECK OF WHAT OBAMA IS.
I read somewhere that John McCain's daughter, Megan, made the comment that her father lives rent free in Trump's head. I think I know who his room mate is.. OBAMA!
History will judge Trump and his time in the Oval office harshly.. I hesitate to call it a presidency because there is nothing presidential about him and his family using the country to line their pockets while stoking hatred.
He loves all the trappings of the office but none of the responsibility.
9
When Mr. Mattis first joined the Trump admin, I thought - another spineless hack. What I discovered while watching, was that this is the type of man we need as a president. A man that respects our country, while at the same time making amends for our past mistakes trying to improve the future. He would never berate his Marines for their views on health care, same sex marriage, taxes, or their individual right to improve their standards of living and improving life for family and community. God bless.
While I respect Mattis's long service to the nation as a Marine, I cannot agree that he is an exemplar of high moral character. For two years, he provided cover for the madman in the White House House and even now seemed to think he owes Trump a duty of silence more than he owes the country his unvarnished opinions. And a note to David Brooks: it is impossible to imagine General George Marshall going to work for Trump.
12
Still, for all of that, Mattis chose to serve this president knowing already Trump's complete lack of anything even approaching character and honor. The conceit in thinking he could control the beast, a dubious claim at best, is out of sorts with the legend and history of Mattis.
I salute Mattis for his service to the country. For lending this president even a faint hue of gravitas, not so much.
11
Mattis stayed too long and did too little to oppose the vile things trump did.
Now, he’s written a book. Any criticism he now directs against 45
is so subtle, so covert, so nuanced that to many it’s not criticism.
Mattis is still a soldier in his heart and his duty is to obey his commander in chief.
5
As much as I would welcome the perspective of Mattis I do not know that it is needed. We had plenty of insight prior to trump running for president and we have witnessed his cruel incompetency and disloyalty since being in the WH. He has a love affair with himself and is hostile to the rest of us. For those of us determined to see trump defeated we do not need additional insight or ammunition. For those that support trump they share the same fervor Mattis has for the Marines and anything Mattis or anyone else says will not change that.
Trump is enamored with a Hollywood John Wayne/ Don Corleone macho image that has little to do with Mattis or men like him and the trump followers share that image of a supposedly strong man.
9
We who already oppose Trump may not need more ammo, but for those who don’t or who are on the fence about him, the words of someone like Mattis could mean the difference between voting red or blue come 2020.
2
David Brooks writes: "Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election."
But there is one thing certain: Mattis WILL NOT speak out about Trump before the next election. His loyalty to the traditions of the U.S. military will prevent him from "transgressing" in this way. His reference to a time when his silence will end is to a time after Trump's presidency, when Mattis's experience of Trump's influence on military and foreign affairs will be a matter of historical interest and evaluation - a warning, perhaps, to us Not to go down that road again.
As cited by Kuznick and Stone's counter-history, THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, an earlier Marine Corps hero, Smedley Butler, wrote of his time in the military:
"I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks, from Second Lieutenant to Major General. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class Muscle Man for Big Business, for Wall Street, and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism."
12
We don’t need to know Trump any better. And contrasting him with Mattis doesn’t illuminate our understanding of Trump, who is very clear in our minds except for his core believers who are beyond all fact or argument.
What we need is a clear view of Trump’s billionaire supporters and their goals and motivations. They run the GOP, the Senate, a majority in the Supreme Court, many State Legislatures, and an unparalleled mind-control apparatus that has almost half of voters glued to alternative facts and Fox, Limbaugh and Hannity.
Until this cabal of very successful Oligarchs is placed in clear view, the machinery behind Trump will only grow more influential, and will persist long after Trump is replaced by some other marionette.
19
This is what I know to be true. My son is a Marine, he has spoken with Mattis and he awaits Mattis's words and by extension would serve him and the institution any time or place. Having experienced the forging of my son's character in the Marines I am grateful for this observation. Well done, David.
3
A follow up to Mr McGlasson's comments, I have this question. A question that I am terrified the answer is YES. Does Trump believe he IS all that we know him not to be?
2
Excellent column Mr. Brooks. Thank you. General Mattis, please take heed. End your silence and use your voice, which is highly respected by many Americans, including those who voted for DT, to help Americans make their voting decision. Clearly you are a patriot and great Marine. Please, Sir.
10
There are so many fine examples of highly-accomplished people that Donald Trump could wish to be. There are those that, like James Mattis, have dedicated their lives to serving their country in the military. There are others that have spent their lives in devotion to cancer research, protecting the environment, or in service to helping others. The common themes among these people are generosity and selflessness. Mr. Trump can be none of these people because he only lives in service to himself. He has spent a lifetime carefully constructing an artificial, self-serving persona. In Mr. Trump’s mind, there’s no one he’d rather be than himself, because there’s no one who’s any better.
4
I don't think that President Trump has any wish to be like any other man.
Trump thinks that he is perfect and does not need to change.
17
@janye
by definition Trump is God.
take that Evangelicals.
You'll probably forgive him for saying as well, as your moral compasses appear to be permanently lost or damaged
3
@janye
Agree. He is exactly what he wants to be.
He is what his followers wish they could be.
2
The major problem with the POTUS character is that is a deep sad well of great predicament. the country’s inception we have not seen the likes of a president and his tyro ineptness being the most interesting and incredible things about him. To try to find virtue in this ‘man for all bad seasons’ is just like waiting night and day for Beckett’s ‘Godot’.
1
I read elsewhere that Mattis also said, speaking of his restraint in criticizing Trump, that one of the reasons he was holding back was that he had to give the people still in the White House the chance to defend the country (in other words, not try to undermine their power and authority).
But I feel like he's missing the point. Although it's a situation that most of us never conceived could come about, the primary threat this country needs defending from IS the President. There is no greater threat to the United States than the current Commander in Chief, and Mattis and men like him, if they have ANY sense of duty left, must step up now, before it is truly too late.
16
I'm sure Mattis will tell us how dangerous Trump was to the country after Trump leaves office. I'm tired of these men (Mattis, Mueller, Tillerson, etc.) holding fast to ideals and standards that Trump has utterly shattered. If any of them truly love America, the time to speak up is now.
20
Mattis has a duty to the public or at the minimum to the House and Senate. Close enough to the election to speak up. Or did he sign the "oath of allegiance and silence" to Donald when he worked for Trump?
8
Number one, Mattis is the kind of person BROOKS wishes Trump were, not the kind of person TRUMP wishes he were.
Trump is thoroughly in love with Trump. Not self-love, but self-absorption to the point of total pathology. Trump was glad to USE Mattis, but he has no desire to BE Mattis.
Number two, is Mattis the kind of person WE want Trump to be—or our new president, whoever he or she may be?
Reading a lot of books, devotion to a military tradition, these are I suppose admirable qualities in some abstract sense.
But is THIS WHAT WE NEED NOW? A learned general monk?
I think not. A General is devoted to principle, we need a person OPEN TO COMPASSION. A General is fed by the learning of a tradition. We need a person, grounded in a democratic tradition, yet radically open to a new society.
A General has as the first duty carrying out of orders. We need a person whose true orientation is toward the irroestiable pull of empathy toward those in need.
Look elsewhere, Mr. Brooks. You are looking in the wrong place.
908
@Paul McGlasson I think it was meant to be a contrast in character, not an attempt to advocate for a particular personality type to lead the country.
Mr. brooks has developed a series of keen insights into morality and character...his last two books demonstrate a remarkable if difficult personal journey and transformation
51
@Paul McGlasson -- In my humble opinion, Secretary Mattis is not the kind of person Trump wishes he could be, Mattis is the type of person Trump thinks he is. Unfortunately, Trump also thinks that the Marine Corps is a terrestrial version of the military in Heinlein's Starship Troopers.
I spent a number of years working in a federal law enforcement agency that is well-supplied with former and reserve Marines. From what I saw, like Mr. Brooks describes, the Marine Corps has much in common with a religious order.
35
@Paul McGlasson
The first thing a soldier learn is compassion for the other soldiers; they learn we go together or not at all. That is why the military is so effective in building character; it is not about you, it is about this larger project. Now we can have a debate about the role of the military in our country; but first each of us needs to know how that military functions.
42
Xenephon wrote that the general or king has more to gain than the common soldier and should lead the charge. I don't understand why Mattis would not lead the charge now.
The important fight is now. Standing aloof in a faux light of honor while one's country stands on the throats of children and tramples democracy will not do.
12
Everyone knows who Trump is and what he stands for. There wouldn't be any real surprises in what Mattis might reveal. It's hard to believe, but Trump represents a lot of what his supporters and the GOP want and value.
478
@Al We still need to hear from people who have an inside view of the current administration. No matter how obvious YOU think the news about Trump is, there are a lot of people out there who need to get Gen. Mattis' inside view.
44
@Al- 100%. Trump's attempted destruction of a diverse and compassionate society is exactly what many (most) Republican that I know here (and in Georgia) believe is the way to protect their and their children's future. Oddly enough, they speak of government overreach (mostly at tax time and when it impacts the immediate profitability of their businesses) yet they insist that the government protect their religion and their property rights.
43
@Al "It's hard to believe, but Trump represents a lot of what his supporters and the GOP want and value."
Not exactly. Not so much anymore, at least. I think a lot of his supporters don't want much of what Trump has revealed himself to be, but they like some or much of what results from him in power. They want a Mattis who can be like him to them, and a Trump to those they don't like. But, they'll take someone wholly like Trump if they can get what Trump gives them. In other words, Trump supporters are just as transactional as he is.
In fact, that may be an essential division among humankind: those that are primarily transactional in dealing with others, versus those who are guided by principles, principles that are not ignored for the sake of expediency.
34
I look at Brooks' columns irregularly, and somewhat skeptically. I've often thought what a easy lift of a job he has, doing things like comparing the moral fiber of Trump with someone of Jim Mattis's character, and wondering what good such columns do other than confirming what we already know and believe.
Then I read the lines:
... "I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
Are you listening General Mattis???
Thank you David for writing this.
12
Here’s hoping...
I read David Brooks regularly because he’s a beautiful writer and an important reminder to me, people with opposing political views can find common ground.
I’ve found it really difficult to listen to Trump supporters with each lie and vile remark. It’s hard for me to empathize with farmers and people who are now without healthcare, but I’m not proud of it. Under normal circumstances we could have a Republican president, who I may not agree with, but is principled — without contempt for anyone who disagrees with him. Without a personality disorder.
God, it’s exhausting.
8
I look forward to reading the book. From your column it appears that when he was in college young Jim Mattis reflected on who he was at the time, didn't like what he saw, overcame his "self" and was determined to work hard at becoming the person he wanted to and knew he could be. In other words, he grew up and became General Mattis.
On the other hand...
1
"...I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election." Here, here, as do I, and thank you, David, for that sage advice. After over two long nightmarish years, there remains one, and only one, silver lining to this dark, dark cloud of infamy. That is Jim Mattis. The one good thing that Trump has done albeit unknowingly is to introduce this man of integrity and leadership to our nation. I am sure there were many like me who groaned and thought, Oh no, another military guy. But Mattis was and remains a true man, the only adult with experience, intelligence, and an actual moral compass to step foot into a White House gone black and dark. Upon Mattis' resignation, a few critics said it was a cowardly act. On the contrary. Nowadays, in the shadow of this Trumpian paradigm, it is an act of heroism not to succumb and to have the courage of one's convictions. Let us stop for a minute, too, and juxtapose him with Michael Flynn. The differences in character, soul, and heart are stark and jolting. One will most likely end up in jail; the other's esteem will grow exponentially.
336
@Kathy Lollock
The true cowards are the ones who stuck around and outwardly continue to support Trump.Their silence is deafening.
26
I don't think that Trump wishes he were Mattis. I think he wishes he could have the respect from others that Mattis has earned over time, without being Mattis.
I think he relentlessly targets Obama and Obama's legacy because of the respect Obama has earned, that Trump will never in a million years achieve.
He might think that his followers and acolytes respect him, but they probably don't. Some love the circus-like atmosphere of his rallies. Some love how easy it is to get what they want simply by telling him how great he is, as illustrated by those awkward round table flatter-fests that occur at meetings.
In Mattisworld you have to earn your place. In Trumpworld flattery will get you everywhere.
1443
@maggie
Mattis was used by Trump to project an aura of strength, and to suggest he was supportive of the military, which he loves as a symbol of strength. But you're right - he has no wish nor the capacity to be the real thing -- and there's a lot to suggest that he considers those who are in the military to be saps. But he looks at almost everyone that way - either they're saps or they're users who put one over on the saps, like DJT himself.
64
@cheryl
the harder he tries the more he fails, at garnering any degress of respectability. He just doesn't have what it takes: maturity and character. It's as if we're dealing with a 7 year old-and btw the Chinese govt has awoken to this, and is treating him much as we should in this country: ignore his behavior, work for and await his successor in jan 2021.(hear that Putin, hear that Donald?....)
44
@maggie
I was about to express the same thought: he does not wish to be a man of integrity. Perhaps the editorial was simply mis-titled. No matter. @maggie expressed it for me.
20
Give me a break. Anyone that reaches the level of a general in the military is nothing but a politician. The idea of a grunt working his way up the ranks is a fantasy.
3
@Paulie
And you base this on what? Your vast military experience? The books you've read? The movies you've seen?
Just because you've never met one doesn't mean they're not out there. They are.
1
Mattis is more responsible and more moral than Trump; Mr. Brooks has set a pretty low bar.
3
More accurately, the man Brooks wishes Trumpy was. One suspects that Trumpy is the man that Brooks wishes he was. Trumpy's quite happy with himself. He's the media darling. They make a hefty profit off him. He uses them to eviscerate all norms of decency. Trumpy is the manifestation of the people that Brooks championed with subtle language. Today Brooks is of the 'l love his actions not his words' crowd.
3
General Mattis took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, not President Trump. He now owes Trump nothing.
5
True, and in working for Trump, Mattis abdicated that oath!
1
So how many of you, after having read the title of this piece, assumed that its subject was Vladimir Putin? Gen. Mattis may not want to talk about Donald Trump but he had barely tendered his resignation before the "president" announced that it was he who had "essentially" fired his Secretary of Defense, asking rhetorically "what has he done for ME?"
4
Wishful thinking on your part Mr. Brooks.
Trump doesn't wish he were anyone else than the self-centered egotistical, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and (fill in what I left out) disgrace of a human being he is.
On the other hand, Trump really does envy people that have accomplished their success and who are respected by others honestly, because it is something he can't figure out.
3
Once again, as with Robert Mueller, we needed a hero but we got a bureaucrat. Mattis served the master until trump tired of him. After the usual "You-can't -fire-me-I-quit" routine, suddenly Mattis grows a conscience and writes a book, but criticizes trump therein with such feeble and self-righteous convolution it's meaningless.
5
Mattis is wasting time. There’s no need to honor Trump just because he’s president!
2
With all due respect to General Mattis, we don’t need his first-hand perspective to judge Trump’s character or fitness. That evidence is before us every single day. We are all being “hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard.” (A great descriptor, BTW)
4
What David Brooks leaves out is the contrast with John Kelly. His behavior was a total betrayal of the military code of honor. People seem to forget that side of his shameful activities and lying.
3
Mattis or any other person who accepted a job in a Trump administration is a non-person in my book.
There is hardly any president whose life story and character was more all out in the open before he was elected than Donald Trump.
Therefore, ignoring all that was known about this charlatan, crook, misogynist liar and taking the job disqualifies anyone from bring a decent individual.
You read a memoir and write an article. That may be your job but be more critical about these people. They are all enablers and abettors.
5
True! Just wrote a. Dry similar comment! These generals sold their souls for what they thought would be power!
Thank you, Mr. Brooks. Beautifully written.
Trump is a weak man's idea of a strong man. Mattis is everyone else's idea of a strong man.
Dear general: we need your insights and views of trump now as much as when you heroically served in the marines.
Duty calls. Please respond. Your country deserves your candid and impactful views.
Please help save America. Thank you.
2
The key problem facing the USA is the tragic legacy left by the slave owning “founding fathers “ who unlike Canada which received hundreds of thousands of 13 colony refugees,they separated from the greatest democracy of its time to continue slavery, and now there is no popular vote for the presidency so despots will continue to be elected and then the senate elected with as little as 18% of the national vote and no independent state or national electoral commissions to stop gerrymandering and voter suppression. The USA emulates the failed states of Europe in the 1930’s
1
trump told us who he wants to be.
He wants to be "the chosen one", in fact thinks he is the "chosen one",, God.
He thinks he is the only one who can solve our problems.
Big time delusions of grandeur.
1
Mattis went to work for, made excuses for and supported Trump! Any fool should know going in what Trump stands for and what the inevitable outcome of working for him will be. If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.
3
Mattis understands, and Trump never will, the words of Rabbi Hillel: If I am not for myself, who is for me? And being for my own self, what am 'I'?
Please General Mattis. Speak out!! Our nation and the world need to hear your thoughts, opinions, and your experiences working with Trump.
1
Too bad David as you appear to have missed a golden opportunity to sum up the situation.What we discovered in NYC 30+ years ago: the man trump is.
It's as if America has handed the keys to the kingdom to a whiny spolied brat of a "rich man" who was never held accountable for his actions. Who bullies others to hide his complete lack of character and imposes his irrational thought process on "bettering" America.
The saddest part is that he STILLisn't being held accountable, Ms Pelosi.
4
James Mattis, like many thoughtful public servants before him, faces the dilemma of balancing personal integrity and the preservation of institutions.
This is a condition that might have interested Shakespeare, were he alive today...
"To bend or not to bend, that is the question\
...whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer\
The slurs and slanders of outrageous conduct\
Or raise voices against a sea of tweets\
And by deposing end them. Ahh - to yield,\
To sleep, to dwell on that which might have been\
And dream a wishful hope. ... But there's a rube,\
And if we acquiesce, what schemes may come\
Were we to shuffle off this moral coil?"
1
I understand that Jim Mattis may feel he owes the presidency his silence. This country is bigger than the presidency, and he owes this country his voice.
1
Mr Brooks, perhaps Mattis and Trump are very similar. Trump is a life long member of “Trump Inc” and while Mattis loves the Marine Corp, Trump worships all things Trump. His loyalty to Trump is unquestionable. He was born, raised and educated at the feet of a Trump. He has followed the Trump playbook since adolescence and my guess it is his one true religion. It might be a self serving love and commitment but it is the one he will be steadfastly loyal to. And as he goes, so go Jr. Ivanka, Eric a few soulless others. It might not be the Marines but Trump Inc does have a mission....
If Mattis doesn't give American the truth about Trump before the elections he is complicit in the destroying our country as the other closed mouthed retired staff.
He was in the Marines, then show some guts NOW!
2
Just a reminder: David Brooks writes about character. Then think about how he has lived his life. 'Nuf said.
1
The man Trump wishes he were is John McCain.
2
If you need to hear General Mattis to understand President Trump, you have not been paying attention. General Mattis has character President Trump is a “brand”.
Mattie knows how much is at stake. If he truly loves our country he would “end his silence about Trump before the next election.”
1
"Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard."
Epic prose.
1
But is not and never will be.
there is no evidence that Trump wants to be a better person than he is. or that he reven ecognizes any person as being better than himself.
I disagree. The man Trump wishes he were is painfully obvious: the unlikely Barack Obama. His single-minded hatred and obsession for Obama is all the evidence you need.
3
Trump doesn’t wish he were Mattis. In his narcissistic mind’s eye, Trump is perfect.
If Trump is the existential risk to the best part of America and its ideals, and a propellant for all its worst instincts, which he clearly seems to be on both counts, then it is the duty of people like Rex Tillerson, Jim Mattis, and Gary Cohn to speak publicly and specifically about this risk, otherwise they fall short as patriots.
Tragically, if you forced the likes of Lindsey Graham or Mitch McConnell or the group of MAGA rally attendees to read this essay of Mr. Brooks they wouldn't understand it or believe it.
Trump will go away someday soon, but we'll be stuck with the detritus of his legacy.
1
Trump would never qualify for Jim Mattis' Marine Corps. Trump has no values, truly despised by all, and does not earn anyone's trust. Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) isn't part of Trump's vocabulary. Never has been, never will be.....
1
Mattis's experience is instructive: he learned that no one can control Donald Trump. Only Donald Trump can control Donald Trump. Many Republicans already understand this and have signed on. Trump is truly a "l'etat c'est moi" kind of person. It's crazy that the Republicans, who wave the Constitution around like it's a handkerchief at a Southern Baptist church, would go along with this but that's where we're at. They will never give up on Trump - if they were going to do that, they would have done it by now, ffs. Maybe what's driving all this is the PC culture of the last 20-30 years. I think people are sort of fed up with it. So, offensive statements just reinforce the "fed up and sick and tired" attitude toward language policing many seem to have.
As admirable as Mattis seemed and seems John Kelly is the opposite. Not only did he end up seeming to be a Trump toady worse he seems to share Trumps racism.
1
It's ironic that Mattis seemingly brags about the virtues of heroism and bravery, but wants to sit out the moral battle he blithely wanders in and out of: the battle of getting a degenerate, Alzheimer's afflicted maniac out of the commander's chair.
If Mattis possessed a fine character, he would sort through his thousands of books and possibly find "Mutiny on the Bounty," and give it a thorough polish and re-read.
2
"The Man Trump Wishes He Were"?
Nonsense. Trump thinks that people like Mattis are chumps. Why be an honorable man when you can be the con man who fleeces the honorable man?
2
No, Mr. Brooks:
James Mattis is the man YOU wish Trump was.
But you and your Republican party determined that the President would be anything but a man like Jim Mattis.
1
Instead of wasting your and our time writing about non-entities like what’s in this piece, why don’t you write about real heroic figures, hmmm? Poverty, racism, and militarism are the three greatest evils in our society, and what you’re achieving here is a valorization of those things! Why don’t you write some exposition on why MLK identified those three things as the evils they are? Now that would be a worthwhile opinion article everyone could benefit from.
Donald J. Trump is already assured of going down in history as our worse President. Anyone associated with his administration is going to have their reputation stained. Exhibit A - John Kelly.
“Character is fate" — Heraclites
Trump lacks character; his fate is clear: to be scorned as the most incompetent, corrupt, inept person ever to sit in the Oval Office.
1
I wish I shared Brook's optimism that Mattis could "deprogram" Trump supporters.
This seems like high praise for the man who refused to let rescue choppers fly to wounded US troops in Urozgan Province in 2001 and who greenlit the bombing that would become known as the "Mukaradeeb Wedding Party Massacre."
It seems like high praise for a member of the board of Theranos and who attempted to use his influence to get their fraudulent blood testing tech into the hands of military client-suckers without the company seeking FDA approval.
1
All we need to know about Mattis is that he took the job in the first place. Hubris? Sycophancy? Munchhausen and/or Manuchin syndrome? If you want to be a hero, be a hero. Otherwise, stay out of the game. QED
2
You are giving him too much credit.
What makes you think that Mattis is "The Man Trump Wishes He Were"?
Trump hasn't shown any sign that he envies Mattis' intellect or character.
Better examples of who Trump wishes he were: Vladimir Putin, Kim Kardashian. So much fear and adulation!! So many twitter likes!!
2
Mattis sounds like a man who needed the discipline and direction of the Marines because he lacked both. Why would you expect him to tell the truth? He only knows what the Marines tell him in his mind.
I have always suspected that General Mattis might be the person who wrote the famous "I Am a Part of the Resistance" editorial.
2
"He thought the second Iraq war was a crazy idea, but when he was ordered to command part of it, he started reading Xenophon and ancient books about warfare in Mesopotamia."
It might have been a much better idea to quit the military and join the War Resitors Leadue.
1
David Brook’s eloquent characterization of Pres. Trump as “a man…hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard” is reminiscent of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s image of such a man: “His honour rooted in dishonour stood/And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true”.
So why did you pick today to ask Jim Mattis to act, when you could have written about a man who did act - James Comey. You could have written about how he tried to deal with a situation where he needed to bend some rules to be a whistle-blower - but you chose not to. You could have written about the GOP's predictable hand-wringing and smearing of Comey when the FBI report came out, but you chose not to. You claim that Trump wants to Obama - nonsense. Trump wants to be king and he doesn't care who he is as long as he is an absolute monarch.
Trump has no desire to be like Mattis. He sees people like Mattis as naive fools he can take advantage of. He played Mattis like one of his sub contractors. There simply is no James Mattis anywhere inside draft dodger Donnie.
Trump’s base doesn’t care about honor, courage, service, integrity, intelligence, loyalty or any of the other traits we see in Mattie; Trump supporters for the most part lack the qualities of a Mattie & know they will never measure up & their degenerate leader is the antithesis of a Mattie. There is a rotten core to Trump & his base that wants to bring everyone & every institution down to their level, thus making themselves appear more decent & normal. Good & decent people must defeat Trump & his legions if our Country is to survive as a beacon for good in a very troubled world & Mattis can help by ending his silence before the next election.
The people of America deserve better than a debased Donald & his admiring hoard of non thinkers. But don’t expect any of them to read Mattis’s Book or anything more intellectual than a t-shirt or cap.
2
Sorry Trump used these military men as drapery, They were to give Trump a air of authority. All realized they were being used as backdrops not as Trump advisers. It is the same reason Trump loves military paraded but openly shunned the military life. One looks impressive, the other requires stamina, honesty and dignity.
These men saw they were being used and reacted like military gentlemen, they resigned. It is the sane reason a real conservative like John McCain never kowtowed to Donald J Trump. We need to ask why so few "Conservatives" in the GOP have his dignity and conscious.
4
If Marines are bluntly critical of falling short, doesn't Mattis have a duty as a good Marine to be bluntly critical of Trump's shortcomings? After all, isn't Trump the commander-in-chief of the Marines?
6
Mathis may have the arrow to inflict a mortal wound to Trump in your mind but it doesn’t matter when his depth of character prevents its use. But, Biden is in a league of poor character of his own making and needs no such arrow.
To knowingly fabricate just to manipulate one’s emotions is wholly unforgivable.
1
@Charlie If Mattis were all that good he would have never have worked for trump or would have taken direct action to save the republic.
I am not sure I fully accept the glowing characterization of Mattis- but certainly Mattis is bright, principled and responsible. Trump is a mentally deranged supplicant to Russian interests.
But I would like to digress- and address my ere not at the millions of people that continue to support Trump- but the issue of those on the self-identified "true" Left (a group Brooks sometimes derides) and their willingness in swing states in 2016 to throw their vote away on Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Two things were apparent on the eve of November 4th 2016. Stein couldn't win (any state), and Trump was a dangerous demagogue. Yet some (enough) on the Left felt such animosity to Clinton that they would effectively help vote in someone who (and they knew this) would do more harm to their core constituencies and causes than any President in history.
Yet what astounds me is that not one major figure on the Left has recanted and admitted their mistake. And this to me speaks to a larger issue. And it is very personal.
And I believe at its root it is hypocrisy and the main question is whether they will do it again.
"Mad Dog" Mattis is not mad- but his geopolitics are conventional and the results not always stellar as it is played out on the world stage. If someone of his caliber and leanings ran on the Democratic ticket- what would the "true" Left do?
4
In short, Mattis is a soldier. Trump is a salesman.
I will take a soldier over a salesman for my team for his character, loyalty, discipline on any given day.
How did the salesman become the 45th? Democracy gets what it deserves. The nation has been critically sick before Trump. Trump is the false hope for many voters who were sick and tired of the establishments.
Trump is just a symptom. The economy model that creates the inequality and the politics that protects the riches need an overhaul.
New thinking is needed for the new generation.
God bless America.
Trump would not be behaving badly/stupidly and 'successfully' if it weren't for the Mitch McConnells in his world. He has many accomplices. He's a con man who has a committee of cohorts assisting him every step of the way. They are equally culpable.
3
Trump's lack of character and unfitness for office has been painfully obvious for a very long time
Why should Mattis or Mueller saying so make it anymore real?
It seems we have lost our strength of conviction.
Since Trump's campaign for president and the very first days of his presidency, people 'on the inside' and those interacting with him have sent out alarming messages to the pubic that Trump is unfit for his job, unhinged, doesn't know what he's doing, and is resistant to taking any expert advise. The Democrats have been investigating and trying to battle his legal blocks through the normal channels but are getting nowhere fast. I've never seen any situation like this where so many people see the danger (Trump) so clearly getting worse every day and yet they think that it would be 'politically a mistake' to impeach Trump and save our country from such ignorance and incompetence. People need to get over comparing Trump's many impeachable offenses to what Bill Clinton did. Pres. Clinton's offense was not a danger to the country, Trump's many offenses are a danger to the U.S. and the world. People like Mattis need to think about their duty to this country first, even over his love for the Marines. There are more ways to be a true patriot than fighting in a war.
2
Real men of character and courage make Trump wilt. We elected the schoolyard bully who keeps pretending he is some hero. Those who live as heroes seldom talk about how , what, or why, how, and they NEVER pat themselves on the back and demand you worship them. They are generally thoughtful, silent worker bees and self congratulation is considered downright tacky.
There must come a time when this country faces the reality of it's current situation. A lot of very brave, talented people have been cast aside for those who will tell the Emperor his clothes are golden velvet. We have allowed our legacy of real patriotic service to be dismissed and demeaned because truth and knowledge make our current leadership uncomfortable and angry.
We have let our souls grow numb with the sheer force of our failure to grasp the difference between loud noise and effective silence. And we have allowed these good, even great people to be treated as an enemy. To those who can never reach the pinnacle of their competence and bravery, they are.
According to Mr. Brooks, Mattis identifies with his common man soldiers and admires them while Trump looks at them as losers and lesser beings. A man that can not identify with the struggles of others is no man at all. The Marine Corp motto is sempre fie, always faithful, but to whom? To your own ego as Trump seems to value things or to humanity itself as embodied by the struggles of a simple soldier. and by extension the rest of humanity. In other words, Trump has no sense of service while Mattis sees his whole being as service.
It is no surprise that Mattis & Trump were unable to get along for the good of the country. As stated in the article Mattis is a genuine hero and person of great integrity and knowledge. Trump is a flawed, ego-centric individual who only cares about his immediate wants & desires. He plunges ahead on issue after issue with no intellectual curiosity or background information to support his view. He is mercurial and believes loyalty only goes one way, his way.
With his temperament, it is not surprising that officials of good character and sound temperament have not lasted in this administration. Trump has now managed to surround himself with sycophants and other toadies to do his bidding, regardless of the affect it will have on the country as a whole.
The simple fact is that Trump must be replaced next year via election or appropriate process before he does any more damage to American society.
1
It's nice to see that there are still some good men with solid character and good discipline, convictions and caring for his fellow-men. Trump started with some good men around him `which made his start look hopeful. But now I can't see a single person in the White House who can come close to General Mattis, just a bunch of sycophants. I look forward to reading the general's book. It should be uplifting, something we all need a little more of these dreary days.
I don't think Trump wishes he were Jim Mattis, President Obama or any other number of individuals. I only wish that he did. Unfortunately for us,Trump lacks any sense of self-awareness that someone else might have character traits that he would do well to emulate, experiences from which he could learn from, competence he could rely upon, wisdom to help guide him. This is not to say he is not jealous and envious of and spiteful toward others, most notably President Obama. That he has plenty of. As such, Trump is quite content and self-satisfied, I think, being just what he is:- Donald Trump, a morally bankrupt, utterly incompetent, vicious and petty little man.
1
It's inarguably true that Mattis has integrity and Trump is a scoundrel.
I hate to rain on the parade of laudatory comments, but the lavish praise heaped on Mattis is another problem with our notions of leadership.
Mattis is a Marine. A good soldier. He is fiercely loyal and devoted to his mission and his troops. I was an Army officer and know the process and the effect of military training and dedication.
We need civilian leaders with compassion, empathy, flexibility, humor and great warmth. "Ramrod military" men, as Brooks describes Mattis are like effective tools, not architects. Lionizing the military is a danger in itself.
Trump may or may not want to be more like Mattis. I doubt it, because Trump is a narcissist who cares about nothing outside his grotesque self.
Mattis was forged by the Marine Corps. He is precisely the right sort of man to be Secretary of Defense, but the implication that these are qualities to be desired in a president is problematic.
2
Trump will go down as one of the worst Presidents of the US we have ever had. Mattis will be seen as a man of honor and good character. Trump has failed the nation, Mattis has served with distinction. A night and day difference between the two.
Most people want to be thought of as good people. They will do something that they, and they hope others, will regard as evidence of good character or virtue. But there are a few people who are not like that at all. They choose to believe that everyone is as evil as they are. They sneer at people others regard as virtuous because they believe their "virtue" is a thin veneer covering self interest. Everyone, they believe, if pushed will do whatever is necessary to get what they want.
Donald Trump is in the latter category. He has no interest in being virtuous. He believes none of the rest of us do either. We are just hypocrites.
Many younger people are becoming just as cynical and distrustful as he is ...if not as mean.
1
Mattis's "intense loyalty" is keeping him from being forthright in a
truly useful way.
Yes, Trump is not the man that Mattis is. Nor is Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, or Amy Klobachar.
Maybe a powerful man's man is not what we need right now for a
model.
1
Having been forced to look at trump - his face constantly in ours for three plus years - I see a human form, totally devoid of the emotions ascribed to most normal people.
His primary motivation in all things seems to be driven by need, and reptilian in nature. The need to annihilate any and all threats to his survival - the dominant alpha male - and the need for reinforcement of his status as such. All else stems from that.
I don't think the man has ever, or will ever feel love, shame, courage or joy, it's not in him.
He does feel fear. Fear of losing that status. He's cold, calculating, cunning and clever - like a snake motivated by his instinct for survival and guided by fear - so too is trump.
He may go through the motions of normal behavior, like holding hands with his trophy wife, but it's a learned act. Like so much else he does, it's all for show.
Those who know what we're dealing with here, like General Mattis, need to come forward and sound the alarm. A snake will bite if cornered. So will trump. He's been coiled up and hissing for months now. We've been warned.
2
I have no great love of the American military. Most American wars are aggressive wars, fought on behalf of American greed and power, and there is little there that is admirable. Despite this, I do like what I know of Mattis. But I also think that his silence on Trump is objectionable, at best. If he really loves and wants the best for his country, remaining silent while an incompetent buffoon shreds its institutions is the least patriotic thing he can do.
4
"Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard."
Even if I completely disagreed with your opinion (I don't), that is excellent writing, Mr. Brooks.
This article is the lasting legacy of the Trump administration. It has laid bare the vestige of white men in power. We now know that when confronted with the actions of a man, unfit for office, they cowered, they retreated, they lied to themselves and the country. Forced to reckon with their own inability to draw on their character, courage, intellect to change the trajectory they instead caved. We now know that white men in power aren’t so powerful and intelligent as they want us to believe. When one looks back at the last 4 years we have witnessed how these powerful men rolled over like dogs for a person who has no loyalty, who’s governing philosophy is built on petty vengeance. That they are now exposed for their lack of character, their lack of allegiance to this country, to us, the people who gave them every opportunity to lead, they failed themselves and us. I feel no pity or empathy for them, they have demonstrated they aren’t entitled to it. They had one job, to this country, to protect it and preserve it’s constitutional governance and they have failed us. I don’t need to wait to hear from any of this men, for their explanation of why or why they will not speak up now out of some misguided reasoning of what they owe the office of the president. It matters not, now that the damage has been done, we have seen now that they were not worthy of their vaunted character. They were cowards. And now we all know.
2
The knives in the GOP and the White House are already being honed while they wait for Mattis to come forward with the narrative that shows how incompetent and hollow Trump really is. The current administration has no compunction about lying and they will use it willingly to blunt any negative message from even the most honorable man. It's enough to given anyone pause.
2
Mattis is a honorable man: I hope he does speak out. But he has spoken - it just hasn't been in media hyperbole or cartoonish attacks.
HE shouldn't be subject to searching analyses of what exactly HE has done vis a vis Trump. He served, or tried to. He didn't elect the man; his presence there certainly did not make things worse. He isn't going to miraculously and single handedly defeat Trump and his backers.
The idea that Mattis - or any of the other "adults" in the background would be able to control Trump was always absurd. ( The most absurd notion of all - spread by all the media - was that unelected celebrity daughter Ivanka and her fortune obsessed husband were going to make this a kinder gentler administration).
"It's the [economy] election, stupid"
If Trump is so bad, why isn’t he being held accountable? Because it’s not politically convenient?
Character is everything and we have a president who sees character as weak and has no shame. Mattis is not a "tough guy". He is a thoughtful, disciplined and eloquent soldier for this nation. I sincerely hope once this con man dud is vanquished, our next president restores the embodiment of character.
Like the educated military man he is, General Mattis is saving his opinion as ammunition for when it will have the most effect.
That is why I expect that Donald Trump's fall is just beginning. When the media and the electorate's attention span is a short as a gnat's, it is smart to shoot when you see the whites of the target's eyes. An avalanche of information that Trump has feared is going to fall on him at just the right time.
Like them of not The Squad has shown more intestinal fortitude than the guys who used to wear stars on their shoulders. It is ridicules that four women are willing to put more on the line than the people Brooks put on a pedestal. If Mattis is not willing to put some skin in the game all he is doing is trying to sell a book. Mattis, Kelly and McMasters have shown courage in protecting our country in the past. Now that our country needs them most they can’t sit on their hands living on past glory.
1
Mattis telling about Trump and his entourage shenanigans could have some impact on people that payed little attention so far (do these mythical creatures really exist) but there is plenty publicly visible already to take a measure of this sorry human specimen. Those in thrall of Trump will not be persuaded by anything Mattis says or writes. The valuable service Mattis can provide is a historical record that future military commanders will read.
Donald Trump is so deeply insecure that he probably wishes he was anyone else besides himself.
The signs are all there.
The whims, the flights of fancy, the constant changing of the guard in his administration, the temper tantrums when things don't go his way, the jealousies, the resentments the need for absolute control -- clearly shows someone who is not in control, and must constantly belittle others to feel good about himself.
Which he never does.
No doubt any trained psychiatrist or psychoanalyst could explain this kind of behavior in greater detail and with far greater insight into what kind of man Trump wishes he were.
But as long as he's in the White House, we have to deal with what kind of a person he really is.
2
You paint a scathing well written critique of Trump in comparison to Mathis. But Trump ceases to exist without his enabler‘s: McConnell, Nunez, Graham, Steve King, etc., and the millions of people who voted for them.
No question, Trump is really bad, but in my opinion, they are even worse!
1
I don't think that Trump wants to be like Mattis. The opposite. He makes fool of people like Mattis that can be used (and replaced) as a shining object to get respect.
1
Trump doesn't have any room in his out-sized ego to even consider being like anyone else, especially people of character . There is only one individual that counts. All others are sheep to be shorn.
1
Donald Trump is a character, but has none. While praising the intelligence of the American electorate, he secretly knows that they can be led around like bulls with nose rings - only instead of bull rings, he uses their beliefs and prejudices to lead them wherever he wants. If DJT doesn't destroy our fragile democracy, he has published the blueprint and playbook for some other demagogue to do it later. If a democracy like America's is going to exist, there will have to be a paradigm shift in human thought throughout the world. In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof as to how we trick the mind with our ridiculous beliefs about what is important and what is supposed to survive - producing minds programmed de facto for dirty tricks and destruction. These minds see the survival of a particular belief as more important than the survival of us all. When we understand this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
1
Trump, being a pathological narcissist, doesn't see other people as real, can't imagine they have genuine interior lives. Everyone, from his children, wives, associates, and every other human being on the planet, are objects to be used to try to fill the abyss of need in his soul. How tragically lonely he must be.
2
Donald Trump convinces dumb people he is smart while smart people know he isn't. One of Mr. Mattis' virtues appears to be that he doesn't try to convince anyone of anything. He reads, he works, he learns and works some more. The antithesis of Trump. If Mattis reveres the institutions, then all this reading must lead him to the fact that the time to stand and deliver is now. If he doesn't know this, he didn't read the right books.
2
The center-right is a useless faction in our politics right now. Useless at best, abetting disaster at worst. They've already told us they'll never vote for a Democrat. (It's the Democrats' fault btw.) Instead they'll stay home or vote third party, because, well, they have their reasons, which are very nuanced and detailed, and which their happy to lay out for you if you have the patience and intelligence to follow along. Remember, they're smarter than you and me.
But don't worry, they'll be there after the fact, and for the next four years or however many years, to remind us all where we went wrong, what we should've done better or different to earn their votes, and to chronicle the demise of a society that could've been saved if we'd only just listened to them, followed their lead, and had more "character."
1
Trump just wishes he were Trump.
He is a man devoid of ideals, ideas, and coherent thoughts. Like most delusional demagogues, he just likes hearing the sound of his own voice, spewing his own lies, bragging about the size of his crowds, reveling in their cheers and support, and then declaring great victories.
He has no real concerns except his own interests and his own survival. He has no desire to be Jim Mattis. He lives in his own delusions, narcissism, and megalomania. He is the true Trump derangement syndrome. He is the great Trump!
1
Men like Mattis, Mueller, Comey ... all of these so-called patriots -- owe their country the moral courage to be straightforward and honest -- to come clean about the train wreck happening to our nation in the form of Donald Trump.
But sadly, their allegiance is to a long-corrupt party, a false notion that only ever reinforced and supported the power and privilege of rich white men and corporations who rewarded them greatly for their adherence to the 'ideals' and hypocrisies of noble sounding lies.
While I'm sure both have done fine things in their lives, in the current accounting Mattis and Mueller have proven their hypocrisy and self-interest many times over. History should not continue to reward them for their ultimate cowardice. Nor should it reward all the other hypocrites and con men who exist on a long and deep continuum of betrayal and lies.
.
.
1
It is now impossible, even with a character transplant with its attendant hope for vast improvement, that Donald J. Trump, Grifter Extraordinaire and Vicious Vengeful Aging Toddler could ever rectify enough to make up for who and what he is and the destruction he is inflicting, not only on the U.S., but now on the world. Trump is one of the precious few humans around, thank goodness, who has absolutely no redeeming qualities and certainly no qualities that should be praised and emulated.
1
Turbulence is trump's other name. Matis, is rock solid in his character. Importantly, Matis reads, reflects and acts. Trump cannot read; his reading is Tweeting. Everything Trump does come from within a hollow man. He demands praise, parades, and sycophants. That is what he feeds off. Therein, you have emptiness engraved on his soul.
1
I certainly do not need Mattis’ “firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief“.
That this president is an empty shell should be visible to all.
2
Mattis is possessed of a superior sense of decorum, a well-honed intellect and common sense rarely found among contemporary leaders. My guess is he is exercising strategic patience. When you strike at the king, you must kill. Mattis may save his candor for a moment when it will have greatest impact. Standing by.
Mr. Brooks refers to "the second Iraq war".
What does this mean? The Wikipedia disambiguation page lists eleven different conflicts called "Iraq War," the second being the 1920 Iraqi revolt against the British.
Does he regard the Gulf War of 1991 as "the first Iraq war"? It was fought mostly in Kuwait.
Mr. Brooks has an obligation to be clear.
1
"A Few Good Men"...The Marine motto and obviously Mattis is one of them. I only wish there were a few more good men (and women) like Mattis who put duty to country before any other consideration.
As an old Army dog I say Semper Fi to a great man and a great Marine.
I don’t think he wishes he was Mattis - he thinks he is the BEST thing that ever happened to America and that the world revolves around him.
1
Character also requires insight. The ability to see one's own flaws and errors and to self-correct is a major element of character, as Mattis demonstrates. Within the Marines, I am sure the quality is contagious. But some people are immune, I guess, like our commander-in-chief.
1
As citizens, do we not all have a firsthand perspective of the president? Are we not all directly affected by his unfitness?
2
Good column. Totally misleading title. Trump doesn't wish he were Mattis because he has no conception of what a person like Mattis actually is. Mattis's character is in effect invisible to a person like Trump.
1
Except for proving his worth as a reliable social being with moral compass to guide his path Trump became all he aspired to be employing every shortcut and deceit to reach where he is today.
Trump can't stand anyone he wishes he were. Hence his enmity for McCain, Mattis and Obama to name a few. Their popularity, their bravery and their "cred" is particularly galling to a pathological liar and narcissist who feels compelled to pad his resume with imaginary achievements.
1
Obviously haven't read the book, but I know General Mattis needs to speak up ASAP. This travesty must end. The country needs this act of patriotism from him. I wish he'd run against Trump.
1
Mattis had a duty to warn but failed to do so. Fearless
prediction, he will lowever the boom in sept or
October where it will do Trump the most harm
Mattis knows Trump is unfit for office. his silence
was a very bad decision
There is no comparison whatsoever between Mattis and Trump.
There is no need to even dignify Trump, by even mentioning his name in this article.
Beginning with his fictitious election, Trump has been and remains, a total disgrace to our country.
1
I'm incredulous. In what insensate world do voters "need his (Mattis') firsthand perspective to make a judgment about" the CurrentOccupant. If there are 17,689 evidences of trump's character extant, one more makes no difference.
1
That's the problem -- he doesn't even wish to be anything other than what he is.
If Mattis wants to continue to serve the country then she should challenge Trump in the primary.
1
Trump reads Thucydides and knows the arguments of victor davis Hanson. Stupid is used by general (strategoi) Thucydides, the first great realist. Brooks doesn’t mention the reasons why Mattis quit. The frustration he must have felt! How much our president learned from all these generals is not clear. He chose them for his cabinet and that reflected good judgment. Mattis was eccentric and Trump is more eccentric. Mattis values learning but Trump thinks books are “stupid.” Mattis was like John McCain, a hero public servant. Intellect and leadership are two different things but Mattis has both.
With all due respect Dave, he is the President of the United States of America aka the most powerful man on the planet. I know he can never reach the status of someone whose living is made by sitting in the stands and coaching without ever having been on the field, but it's still pretty impressive
David, if you extoll Mattis, you have to trust his judgment about when he may speak about Trump. Besides, his current silence may be the loudest statement Mattis makes!
After observing Trump for the amount of time he worked in the WH General Mattis owes the country any details by which he saw him unfit for office. America may not be able to withstand another four years of this madman.
1
As I read your column, my instant thought was, and ultimately how the column ended, why doesn't Mattis and other people who were in positions like him speak out how visionless, unfit and unprincipled their former boss really is.
Trump doesn't wish he were these men. He thinks that he already is.
David wrote:
"The contrast between how these two men were forged is so stark that it throws into relief how character is and isn’t formed."
Thank-you for crystallizing the real answer to your proposition. The man Trump wishes he were ... but isn't, is Barack Obama, a man of integrity.
It explains so much of Trump's skulduggery and moral degradation as he can't ever be that man, thus he does everything he can to destroy Obama's legacy.
Terribly sad ...
2
Mattis leads by example. The culmination of his honorable career might be to speak at 2020 College graduations across the land instilling in our youngest voters the requirements of statesmanship: honesty, integrity, compassion, and well informed, judicious decision making. Never self-promotion, backstabbing, arm-waving empty promises, nepotism, cronyism, bigotry, misogyny and shunning female heads of state yet embracing dictators, and never exploiting our natural resources and precious environment.
1
I seem to remember early in this administration when Trump pulled all of his cabinet secretaries into a public spectacle of coerced adulation to the chosen one. One by one, they debased themselves in how honored they were to p!edge loyalty to the king. When it was Mattis' turn, he chose to speak of the soldiers, readiness, etc. Trump nodded, but at some level he knew Mattis would not be one of his rubber stamps. Mattis was one of the adults in the room. You just knew he wasn't going to stay for the entire term.
"Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
Who in America (besides rabid GOP voters, of course) doesn't have everything they need to make this judgement by now?
2
This is particularly cogent considering many of PA Dems were placing our hope in Joe Biden, and now he is telling a version of several war stories which he has conflated into a "moving" narrative. Sorry, this will not do!!
How long will it take for trump to come up with a gratuitous insult directed toward James Mattis because there is no praise of the "stabile genius" in his book?
Trump rightly deserves to be hounded out of office and roundly ignored for the rest of his days. As do many republican puppets.
1
Good to know why Mattis has been silent. Hopefully he’ll speak out before the election.
Jim Mathis' inspiring life story should be celebrated and not used in another attempt to denigrate President Trump.
This is the sort of thing written of Powell when he was quietly edged out of the Bush WH without being told.
Even if Powell did not known he was lying at the UN, he eventually came to know and sat silent.
Here again, a military man remaining silent while the country and constitution he has sworn to defend are shredded.
1
Mattis is a very admirable man, but don't hold your breath. Like Mueller, he'll stick to the script (of institutional loyalty), if pressed, and not be drawn into the slime politics have become under Trump.
2
The problem in America is not Trump; it's Trump's supporters.
I guess when a country is spending $750 billion a year on its military we deserve and should expect a David Brooks to rhapsodize about U.S. marines and their folk heroes like Mattis. I prefer to think of all those new gravesites at Arlington and the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women and children, let alone all the other needless deaths our military machine has extracted across the Middle East and beyond. Mattis and the other marine generals couldn't stand up to a playboy who bedded supermodels while they were in Vietnam. Something is surely lacking in their character formation.
1
A true hero , patriot, leader, and example for the highest virtues of character. The honorable General Mattis would do America the greatest service by throwing his cap into the ring and along with Niki Haley running for President and Commander in Chief. America needs to be rescued. This former Marine ideally fits the bill!!!
Do we really anyone to tell us how it is with Trump? We already this. And yet there are still fools who support him.
Voters also need to know why a man of otherwise good character decided to join the administration of a charlatan. Maybe it will help all of us understand why so many people voted for Trump. Oh, wait, I know the answer: racism, sexism, and xenophobia.
To utter the "T" word taints everything. Good for him for not dwelling on him in his book. However, If only Mattis would end his silence about Trump before the election. The Nation needs to hear first hand from this man of great character that our commander in chief has NO character and how he truly is dragging our country down. Of course some will ignore, but there might be a few "T" supporters out there who would have a light bulb moment , a realization that yes this man should NOT be reelected....................
Good leaders lead by example. Trump could never hope to be a god leader. Jim Mattis made it perfectly clear, when Trump introduced his Cabinet to the press in 2017, by affirming his loyalty and praise to the members of the Department of Defense and not to Trump as did his fellow Cabinet members. Mattis is his own man, highly respected by most, and beloved by his Marines. Semper Fi, Jim.
Career military men are duty bound and understand the discipline of the chain of command. At some point, one must understand where one's true loyalty lies. Hopefully for these generals it will be before next November. Our commander in chief is a clear and present danger to the security of the United States of America.
1
Great essay, David, but, seriously? "Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
It's truly sad if voters cannot at this point "make a judgement about" this POTUS' "fitness and character." If they can't then they either have not been paying attention (at all) or they are smitten and never will, no matter what Mathis says, see Trump for the lying charlatan he is.
6
Brooks leaves out a key trait that Mattis shares with all top tier individuals: Discipline.
At many points in our lives we don't have it. Most people eventually understand the need for discipline and develop it to some degree. Mattis lives it. Trump doesn't have a clue.
Semper fi: Always faithful. Honor. Courage. Commitment.
2
“There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever.”
A joint public statement from retired generals Mattis, McMaster, and Kelly, who served in civilian roles in this administration, would likely carry much weight with many of the 17-19 million living Americans who have served in the military and their families.
7
As much as I admire General Mattis for his great service to this country, he should have gone public sooner and more directly about the harm Trump is doing to this country and the threat he poses to the survival of democracy, here and in the world. In moments of crisis such as we now are in, half way measures are not enough. Every American needs to take the boldest legal steps they can to fight evil, which is what Trumpism is.
8
@J. C. Beadles
And the other side needs to hold them accountable!
The Post Office is an underrated and neglected branch of government these days in the era of Amazon Prime.
Nevertheless I venture to say that it would have no difficulty correctly delivering boxes of sugar donuts addressed by myself to Mr. Meshuggah, care/of Washington D.C.
2
I can agree with almost everything you write here; almost. General Mattis and General McMaster are men of discipline, honesty, and integrity. Including General Flynn in that citation is wrong.
7
Yesterday I listened to an NPR news clip interview of one of the Harlan County Ky coal miners who are blocking the train carrying the coal they mined but were not paid when the company bailed. Inter alia, the interviewer asked about Trump’s support for miners and the coal economy in Appalachia. The miner was quick to say he wasn’t getting into politics, that it wasn’t trump’s fault and that they (the miners) support him.
I don’t think anything Jim Mattis has to say will make this man re-evaluate his affection for trump.
8
So why am I suppose to believe Mattis? (Keep in mind I don’t believe Trump, either.) Because, he has read 7000 books as one suggests? Just wow! When I look at my country and see the forgotten or how there is no end to saving some men and others like my brother, die of heart attacks in MRI machines, it looks to me like he and many others still have a few more books to read.
1
>>Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief.<<
I hope General Mattis sees his duty to his country as permitting him to do so, to speak truth to power, and still maintain his obligation to the Marines.
2
Recall that the hero of the political thriller "Seven Days in May" is a Marine, (Kirk Douglas played "Jiggs" Casey in the movie.)
1
I lose respect for Mattis every minute he stays silent.
What are they always telling us these days -
If you see something, say something.
9
Nice piece, though I would take issue with your closing sentence:
"Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
No, actually, we don't. We've seen more than enough ourselves. And anyone who does, won't change their judgement about Trump no matter what anyone says.
4
Jim Mattis's input would be a redundancy. Trump's boatload of tweets and cruel policies should be all one needs to conclude he is not fit for office. His decrees and insidious remarks have led to the death of innocents whether in detention camps, lack of health insurance, bombings in Yemen, devastating essential safety net programs, or widening the wealth gap. General Mattis's revelations will be a bit too late if they are any further help at all.
1
Brooks writes of Mattis, “He didn’t write about Trump because he didn’t want to undermine the people still working inside the administration.”
I don’t understand this reasoning. What are these individuals presumably accomplishing and if there were something still to accomplish why did Mattis leave?
It is time for Mattis to speak out, and, if he doesn’t, is it possible that we are attributing more disapproval and disagreement with Trump that is there? I doubt it so it is time for him to speak.
5
A man of character?
At some point in his tenure Mattis became complicit. He denied, for instance, that sending the military to the southern border to deflect Trump's "invasion" was a legitimate use of the military. "We don't do stunts," he said, of what was clearly a political stunt.
Mattis, if he came to believe Trump to be unfit for office, has an obligation to explain clearly why he believes as he does. As Secretary of Defense and, earlier, a general, his sworn obligation was to defend constitutional rule. He owes no legal or moral allegiance to the president.
He knows this, surely, but, like so many others who joined this administration, the easiest or most convenient course is to turn away from the collapse of national institutions, as though the "duty" they offered as a rationale for beginning their collusion was only a memorized platitude.
The top military leadership we have seen over the last two years--Mattis, Kelly, McMaster, Flynn...--have been unimpressive intellectually and ethically.
9
Donald Trump’s personality, leadership style, and governance is a tangled skein of ego strength and compensated* narcissism. Psychologically compensated* in the sense that he has been able to transcend childhood dyslexia, reading/learning disabilities, and the impact of both his parent’s neurotic personality and character disorders. To many observers and political, media, academic, pundits, Donald Trump is misunderstood, underestimated, and subtlety or not so subtlety scorned.
*Compensation refers to the psychological defense mechanism by which a person overachieves in one area to compensate for failures in another. A common example used refers to individuals with poor family lives who direct their energy into excelling above and beyond what is required at work.
1
But these days he's decompensating. That's a psychological term, too.
Not only Jim Mattis, but Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, H.R. McMaster and Michael Flynn should also speak out before the election about their service to Donald Trump, about what they observed of his character and competence, and about the culture around him. To do so would not be whistleblowing but acts of patriotism.
4
I take exception to Brooks including Mattis as a military man in the same sentence as Flynn and Kelly--the latter two who have thoroughly disgraced themselves.
In the case of Kelly, the former company on where he was a paid board member spun off a new company to detain migrants, including children, as Kelly was working on the child separation policy heading DHS. Once out of office, he immediately joined the board of this company. His infamous comment that his preferred number of refugee admissions was zero, was not only anathema to our nation's history, but the many foreign nationals who, after risking their lives to serve the U.S. military overseas have, with their families, been saved by this program.
However many books he may have read, I will always be disturbed by Mattis's comments that he enjoys killing his enemies.
His decision not to speak out about Trump is not consistent with his professed love of country. Anyone with a brain (and he is both intelligent and principled) charged with safeguarding our national security must recognize the exestential threat to the security of our country that Trump represents. This is what makes " Moscow" Mitch McConnell and his fellow Congressional Republicans so odious-they whose foremost constitutional duty is to safeguard the nation's security--have put self-interest before country.
As probably the first Secretary of Defense ever to refuse a Presidential order (to kill Assad), I hope Mattis again puts country first.
4
Your best article in quite some time.
When asked at Trump’s cabinet meeting for Blind Obedience, nearly every cabinet member echoed the sycophantic response Trump required.
Mattis said he was proud serving the Nation, not Trolling Blunder.
4
I see all the proof I need that Trump is who he wants to be. That, of course, is why there are millions of unhappy voters/satisfied voters extant. I am one the malcontents.
5
In Rockwall, yours is the minority opinion. Keep your head down, Notate, and say safe out there.
Mattis has the character we once regarded as desirable in a leader. He has earned the respect with which he is treated. Trump has the character of someone once regarded as unfit for any type of leadership. He thought he could gain the respect he has been denied his whole life due to his low character by becoming president. Instead, he has merely demeaned the office of the presidency.
But Mattis is now abdicating his responsibility to speak out about his experience working for Trump. His allegiance is to the United States, not to the current temporary occupant of the White House.
4
The column could be aimed at each and every Republican member of Congress and the entire cabinet, could it not? Where’s Mitch, for instance?
10
Jim Mattis is a man to be admired and emulated. Yes he worked for Mango Mussolini but he also is a man of duty to his country and his president called him so he answered. When he does speak it will be an incredible contrast of how different two men can be.
My only other comment is that Mr Brooks states that General Mattis reads Marcus Aurelius but isn’t a stoic and I’d beg to differ. Every characteristic he assigns to the General are exact stoic practices. If we all did just a little bit of our lives like General Mattis I’m sure the world would be a bit better place.
3
This is one of the best pieces I’ve read by David Brooks. I am taken by the breadth and experience of Jim Mattie and look forward to reading his book. However, I don’t agree with David that Mattis needs to end his silence about Trump. If you don’t know enough by now to to understand the need to prevent Trump a second term, hearing more of the same won’t change your mind.
While Jim Mattis is a truly great man in every sense of the word and the complete opposite of Trump, he is not the man Trump wishes he could be. That distinction belongs to the world leader Trump criticizes in the most obsessive and persistent way: Barack Obama, one of the five or six best presidents in American history, after Washington, FDR, Lincoln, Wilson and Jefferson.
4
I understand the need for discipline in the military. Without it, there would be chaos. But there needs to be a forum for leaders to speak out against an obvious failure in judgement.
From Vietnam to Iraq, it has been follow the leader, right or wrong. Two fiascos with thousands dead and trillions of dollars wasted. I don't find acquiescence to command brave or courageous, but rather a failure of leadership.
6
"Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
It strikes me this last paragraph is for better or worse the defining moment for Mattis. Mr. Brooks may rightfully honor Mattis' contribution to the country, but it strikes me his continued silence will be his legacy. What greater duty could anyone have than to educate the country on how unfit and unhinged the president is?
Just imagine what would happen if every former Trump administration official spoke up and told the truth about our unfit president. Perhaps Mr. Brooks should have saved his praise for Mattis until AFTER he did the right thing and shared his firsthand perspective about our commander in chief.
7
I hope that what is happening is that Mattis has gotten good advice - or figured out for himself - that a statement from him about his exoeriences with Trump would have much more impact at about this time next year when the average low interest voter (most people) starts paying real attention to a presidential election.
4
General Mattis' finest contribution to today's Republican party would be to persuyetade them that they desperately need to discontinue putting $money$ at th forefront of everything they think, act, and encourage from everyone around them. Money is not personal healthcare or education. Money is a means to both. And th proper order here is essential.
Great column Mr. Brooks.
David has not come to the realization that Trump was voted in as President of the United States. Maybe David should spend his time pondering that fact and investigating why over 50 million people voted for Trump. It happened. It was real. It is history. He will have plenty of time because Trump will be President again in 2020.
Don't fall for it.
Not only is David Brooks aware that Trump was voted president, he is one of the fifty million himself. He's just not mensch enough to come clean.
There's something wrong in focusing on Mattis' 'failure' to rein in an elected President, and the almost magical wish that - if he spoke out forcefully- in words a 4rth grader could understand - the entire country would wake up and turn against Trump.
Rather like Mueller, he HAS provided his opinion.
Magical thinking about any of the "adults in the room" will not remove Trump from power: it will take, most likely, the 2020 election. As for highlighting Trumps failures and treachery, that would fall to impeachment hearings.
4
.
Presidential term limits and peaceful transfer of power will ensure that Americans get a different set of character strengths/weaknesses in the Oval Office every four or eight years.
Thanks to the clarity of the Founding Fathers, we citizens are all "living the dream, sir".
3
We are told that General Mattis is a man of virtue, a loyal and dedicated servant to his country. From what I have seen and read of him, I admire him very much as a man of honor and integrity, but he is not a saviour or saint. It is not surprising that such a man would try to maintain an attitude of dignified respect toward the office of President despite the antithetical character of the man who currently occupies that office. No, General Mattis cannot save us. Nothing he can do or say would change the hearts and minds of those who support this President despite his obvious failings. Even if he spoke his mind, General Mattis would only become the next spectacle in the ongoing reality TV show brought to you by the likes of Kellyanne Conway, Sean Hannity and all the other Fox News pundits and TV personalities. General Mattis would be out of his element, as was another former Marine, Robert Mueller. It is left to us as American citizens to put an end to the madness, if we still can.
7
Former schmormer. He may not be in active service - but once a Marine, always a Marine, right?
There are real disagreements about real issues personalities aside.
Brooks suggests that it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the 2020 election. Would any new insight into Trump's dubious character convince his core supporters of abandoning him? So far, the evidence says no it wouldn't. For the rest of us, any new revelation will only confirm what we already know.
7
@JoKell If General Mattis disagrees with Trump on issues then he should speak out. If he just wants to hurl insults he is wasting our time.
“Your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you”. Right there, Mattis identifies the unique characteristic in Trump, and likely the eventual fatal flaw. There is no evidence that Trump has anything except personal experience to sustain him. Actually, he proudly and repeatedly boasts of his resistance to any effort to enlighten himself through the thoughts and ideas of others.
12
I don’t think Trump wishes he was like General Mattis. He’s far too deranged to have that kind of insight. His character was forged by the time his parents sent him away to military school because they couldn’t manage him and he couldn’t manage himself. Nothing has changed. He has the emotional maturity of a very spoiled child. It was so obvious to me during the campaign that he lacked the character, let alone knowledge, and that his self-interest would make him dangerous. He’s not the sort of person who should be given such immense power. He’s abused it every step of the way. He’s broken laws and still hasn’t been held accountable.
10
I agree. Trump could care less about being like Mattis. Clearly David Brooks wishes he were, though.
@VWalters
Agree. He's bragged about how he was the same as a little child as he is now.
Imho, he's never gotten over the rejection by his mother.
Mattis has been a cog in the death machine of war. Not one war we've been in since and including Vietnam has been worthwhile and everybody knows it. Rather than deal with the chaos of his own life - similar to a nation that does not know itself, he seeks discipline from an external source instead of healing the divide(s) within so that true integrity (wholeness) may emerge. Only when a person or a nation allows its/her/his demons to emerge and be seen without repression (war) can true character and the better angels of our nature arise.
5
@Anam Cara very beautifully said, brava!
"Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief." My judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief was made long ago by observing his performances at his rallies and listening to his lies and childish banter. I have no need for Mattis' firsthand perspective.
5
Sophocles, one of the writers Mattis especially recommends, writes, "Count no man happy (the word also implies good and highly admired) until he dies", even one who has risen to the very heights. Mattis very rightly rose to those heights. Then he sullied his reputation and himself by serving Trump.
Will he ever redeem himself by, like Oedipus, fully repenting his sins and submitting his full case publicly? Or will he, like the Shepherd, claim the Duty of Silence until threatened into telling the truth?
2
Brooks:”I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief.“
I think Mattis should break his silence now!
"...you need to work within a structure to be creative" is true in almost anything: 110 pages of a screenplay, 5 sq ft of canvas, a 3 week adventure, rhythm and melody, 4 yrs of a presidency.
Epictetus' aphorism "Character is destiny" applies to Trump's failure as a tyrant during his 4 yrs, which the rest of us can only consider a success.
1
One stark difference in Trump emulating Mattis-Mattis did not complain about bone spurs and served his country-honorably-until the days of Trump.
Everyone of those flag officers who went to work for Trump are now tainted as they compromised their values.
5
Mattis without doubt is a respected leader. His new book will provide more insights into his life and his many challenges. I so hope he decides before the 2020 election to share in some detail his experiences and appraisal of the current occupant. Mattis' views would provide at the very least abundant food for thought about America's present commander in chief.
1
What Mr. Brooks has described is: Trump is a narcissist who will bend the character, culture of an organization to fit him while Gen. Mattis has character and will respect the culture of an organization and work to strengthen it. While Gen. Mattis has values and strives to be true to them, Trump has no values other than what is best for him and by nature only works to improve his position no matter the consequences to the organization. While Gen. Mattis reads broadly to educate his views and improve his decisions, Trump doesn't read and only believes what is best for him and what supports his uninformed decisions. While Gen. Mattis is the personification of the values of the Marine Corps, Trump is the modern embodiment of Louis XIV who decreed: "L'etat, c'est moi!" (the state is me). The contrast between the two is obvious and stark; no surprise that men of Gen. Mattis' character are no longer in Trump's orbit. For the good of our country, let's hope that Gen. Mattis speaks more directly of his experiences in the Trump White House soon so the American electorate does not repeat the mistake or 2016!
8
@Bob Parker At least Louis XIV honored culture and writers like the great Molière, Racine and Corneille to name a few, artists and scientists... no redeeming feature
in Trump.
@Bob Parker
Heraclitus
“Character is destiny"
I'm a Marine, Mr. Brooks, who thinks you're right about "character" but who thinks Mattis learned about it where you learned about it, from homes and schools and religions that taught it, usually by example, and not from the breathless pitches and interviews with current celebrities that saturate our media. Thanks for eloquently reminding readers of the Times that character is sine qua non for active citizens of a democratic republic. And (while we're on the subject) semper fi.
12
Beyond Trump, this piece galvanizes one to reflect on personal character. If each of us had pursued good character truths in ourselves, there would not have been a Trump ruling America.
6
I’d like to believe that General Mattis is keeping his powder dry for the time being. What good would it do to spill the beans at this point? I’m hoping that he, like General Powell, will speak up prior to the election. I think he has a duty to warn the American people. It’s pretty clear where he stands. He just needs to fill in the details. Trump is a clear and present anger. General Mattis clearly loves this country and has spent his life defending it. It’s imperative that he speaks up. We can’t handle another 4 years of Trump. Too much damage has already been done.
6
We don't need Mattis' judgement about the fitness and character of the commander in chief. After 2 years in office it is plainly obvious that Trump is unfit to be President and is of extremely low moral character. And frankly, there were many people who knew this before the election.
15
My view is that Mr. Trump practically needed to form a competent military personnel around his presidency because he himself has no experience in military (and politics). In addition, he brought his policy as hawk to appeal to his electoral constituencies. If Brooks is right about Mr. Trump’s aspiration as to compensate what had been lacking in his life and character, that would tell his high mindedness as if longing. As everyone else, Mr. Trump had no choice for himself and his family when he was born. Brooks contrasted two men in the differences in their lives as if all were made only by choices and willingness. Strength matters, I agree. But, circumstances and chance, such as luck or the opposite, may also drive one’s life.
Of the millions of words spilled over the dams of our abiding perseverance, perhaps more from Mr. Mattis might add a little extra. However, most Americans know enough about Mr. Trump to judge him as a man of weak character and few scruples.
4
When writing our comments, I imagine quite a few of us hope that trump will read them and begin to understand why he is held in contempt by so many. Not a chance!
Mr. Brooks, I disagree with you. It is we who wish that trump were the man that Gen. Mattis is. trump, I believe, is perfectly happy being who he is and sees no benefit to being a man of the General’s caliber.
13
I see too few articles about character, especially in public service. Traits like honesty, integrity and loyalty apparently are not sufficiently newsworthy. We see too much behavior in all walks of life, but especially in government that is motivated by self-serving, transactional behaviors.
I go immediately to a David Brooks’ article because I know he will not disappoint me, or trivialize the travesty of lies and deceit our government’s leadership has become!
6
There's Trump, and then there's Trumpism. Trump is the visible lesion on the body politic, and Trumpism is the malignancy that's metastasized in his followers and the GOP. Apparently it was residual there and only required a catalyst to release it. Defeating Trump in the 2020 election will simply excise the lesion, not cure the cancer he has released, and given voice and sanction to: racism, bigotry, white nationalism, and xenophobia head up a list far too long to include here. As a cancer survivor myself, I know well that removing the tumor doesn't eradicate the cancer; it's the chemo, radiation, or immunotherapy afterwards that ultimately saves one's life. Similarly, once Trump is history, it will take years of regular infusions of people of Mattis' character and mettle, both in society and government, to reverse Trumpism now that it has been released.
Finally, as one who has followed David Brooks for many years, I have read, heard and watched his anguish unfold over the years as the healthy cells of moderate, reasonable conservatism grew more and more radicalized, intolerant and reactionary. He has been and remains a steady voice of reason and moderation very much worth reading and listening to. Thank you, David, for lifting up the example of Jim Mattis as a poignant reminder of the character and virtue that are indispensable to public service, and still very much possible, in contrast to what we now have in the White House.
5
But there is no "GOP." Show me the grandness. Go ahead. Or just call them by their name, which for those of you just tuning in is "Republicans."
Great contrast.
One, a protector of the empire and the other, an emperor with no clothes.
Thank you General Mattis for your service, then and now.
God bless.
4
An interesting contrast between how General Mattis keeps silent while James Comey can't keep his mouth shut, and the consequences that follow. Let's hope that General Mattis reads this article and reader comments, and ends his silence sooner rather than later.
7
@Nancy Lederman, Without Comey's careful release of Trump's unlawful request to him, there would have been no Mueller investigation. We depend on the remaining honest public servants to uncover the venal ones.
One thing you can say about Trump, he jumped into the race and got the job - despite his flaws. These other guys may be morally better than Trump, but they would have had no chance to become president. That's the way politics work.
Does anyone think that after the first few presidents, the best man got the job? Anyone who is any good won't even run.
2
@Jonathan You forget that Trump had held help from the Russians, and Mitch McConnell is ensuring that he will again. And we have never, ever, had a person of such poor character in the White House in my lifetime. Please stop making excuses for this.
1
Ah. That would explain how Lincoln, two Roosevelts, Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan and Obama all never became Prez.
@Jonathan
Perhaps another way to say it is that anyone who is honest with the voters and sticks to their principles has a snowball's chance in hell of being elected. I'd say the fault is more with voters who are lazy and let others tell them what to think, and who confuse celebrity with character and ability. We get the government we deserve.
1
What I gathered from Mr. Brooks' column is that we cannot know the truth until people like Mattis spill the beans.
Ironically, our county has begun instituting police reform by requiring officers to use body worn cameras, recording significant encounters, preserving the encounters, reviewing the video for misconduct including failure to turn on the cameras when appropriate. Yet we don't ask for technological accountability for our elected officials.
A President who is able to hide the truth can cause far more damage than we realize. Something must be done to make government more transparent.
We would know if there were acts of obstruction of justice and acts of obstruction of justice would be deterred.
1
And yet, he will really only be remembered for his association with Trump. For me, and for many, that makes his character and judgment very suspect.
Duty is one thing. But Wigan it conflicts with ethics, morals, and character, the choice you make does, in fact, define your character.
4
If Mr. Mattis embodies the virtues Mr. Brooks claims for him, why did Mattis agree to work for Trump in the first place?
Surely Mattis saw who Trump was; nothing, in my book, could justify lending credence or legitimacy to Trump's dastardly "project." To join him was to become instantly tainted, to reveal moral weakness.
7
Where might we be now if someone more in Trump's image had taken the position, and Gen. Mattis had not been around to rein in Trump and/or ignore Trump's crazy ideas? Post-nuclear apocalypse, perhaps? (I'm not kidding; think of the dangerous lunacy Trump has been spouting.)
While ultimately Mattis may have overestimated anyone's (including his own) ability to be a successful sane and restraining influence within the administration, Mattis certainly tried honorably, and I think he did the nation well by his service for the time he was there.
I read this and lament how people of character like General Mattis seldom enter the political arena - and help mentor and guide a fractious nation. We need people like him to lead us. We need statesmen and stateswomen who value integrity and the sense of service to others. We need rational, thoughtful, compassionate, secure people.
Instead we get Trump.
Our system of government has become so corrupted, our loss of the sense of the Common Good so pervasive, that we have forgotten about the essential qualities we need in a national leader. How well a politician can vanquish an opponent has become more important than how well a politician can craft compromise from disparate positions. It is the definition of leadership.
Trump is the living embodiment of our political and moral dysfunction as a nation. Jim Mattis is the living embodiment of the type of character we should seek out when assessing the qualities of our future leaders. My hope is that we can repair our political system such that it attracts to public service people like the latter, rather than the former.
5
I personally don't care whether Jim Mattis, or anyone else, finds a need to tell the voters in the next election what a mistake Trump is, and was. Trump's reputation was well known before 2015, and any voter in 2020 who needs more information than that is hopeless. Mattis being well read, you'd have thought he would be well informed in that regard.
I don't see where Mattis did any good for himself, the Marines, or our nation by accepting a post in Trump's administration. He's now just another casualty of Trump's narcissism, writing a book that will sell because of his recent public exposure.
4
If Mattis was the man Brooks make him out to be why is he silent when he knows what Trump is doing to our country? Mattis and all of the former Generals who he surrounded himself with are no longer under Trumps. Command. I can understand doing your duty and obeying The Commander and Chief but when the commander is a loose cannon then what? Is your allegiance to a man or to the country you swore you would protect? The American people deserve more than innuendos to describe Trump. We and the world have suffered for almost three years and the thought of Trump in Charge after 2021 should be scary to any thinking person. What is more important protecting the institution or saving our country? Whispering and innuendo are not signs of true valor. The party of Trump has no backbone to speak the truth to power.
15
Character counts. President Reagan had a sign on his desk that said "there's no limit to what you can do so long as you don't care who gets the credit." President Trump should have a sign on his desk that says "there's no limit to the credit you can take so long as you don't care who does the work."
That's why Reagan was respected and Trump isn't. Mattis has it right.
2
Of course, millions of Trump voters will read the Mattis book and finally be persuaded that Trump is not qualified to be President. Dream on David.
8
I feel that Mr. Brooks overlooks a major criticism of the Trump administration, its militarization of the executive office and too much of our resources spent on the military. To rely upon military leaders alone to fill the defense and state departments does a serious disservice to the nation. We need well educated civilians who would offer varied advice to the president. Loyalty is not always a virtue. We have a terrible secretary of state who comes from the military. He believes in the rapture and this shapes his Middle East mind set. Neither political party questions our military budget which is partially determined by the military industrial complex through campaign contributions and jobs to key states and congressional districts.
5
General Matthis is not much of an example of a leader. What leader would allow the Trump to exercise his authority with impunity? The leadership principle—that orders are orders—is so ingrained that any effort to challenge authority or work outside of the chain of command is crushed. Lincoln’s Grant, Truman’s MacArthur, and Stalin’s Zhukov are singular examples of generals who achieved results by defying authority. No such people exist today in the marines or anyone else. They certainly are physically brave but they are moral cowards, yet one more casualty to the anti-constitutional anarchy that is Trumpism. .
4
Good piece, totally irrelevant title.
Trump admires Trump, though he'd probably be even more admiring if this role model were less beleaguered by traitors, fake news and annoying legalities.
Sad to think how disappointing other role models ultimately prove, like Jeremy Epstein did earlier this year and Rupert Murdoch has just this month. Very sad.
3
Donald Trump may have been born abnormal; the causes of narcissistic personality disorder are not entirely understood, but probably have some genetic component. His biographers suggest that Trump's father was somewhat harsh and demanding, and his mother seems to have been a distant figure. Trump was already seen as difficult as a child (he punched his 2nd grade teacher in the face). I feel sorry for the difficulties of his personality, but disappointed that he says so many hateful things about all sorts of different people.
You may "think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election", but don't bet on it. If Jim Mattis was a profoundly principled as you claim, he would have never worked for Trump in the first place, as from the moment Trump ran everyone knew (as did Jim Mattis) that Trump was a vicious authoritarian with absolutely no regard for the US Constitution or for the rule of law.
Mattis accepted an offer to work as Trump's defense secretary. Unlike rank-and-file Marines who must follow orders, Mattis's decision was a purely personal choice. It was not a position, posting, or mission Mattis was required to take no matter what his reservations might be. Mattis knowingly chose to work for a despot and advance his agenda.
Mattis, with your help, is trying to salvage his reputation for enabling an autocrat, and for that he deserves nothing but contempt. Whatever good things Mattis stood for disappeared the moment he decided to work for Trump knowing exactly what he was, how he would violate the Constitution, and how he'd destroy our republic and our democracy.
Finally, Trump had no interest in being Mattis; he wants to be Vladimir Putin.
What Trump wants is to have the power Putin has to extend his term of office indefinitely, to jail or murder his political opponents, and to assassinate anyone who offends or questions him, whether it be a journalist, a defector, or just some random person who tries to speak freely about his despotism and hate.
17
Reading many books and being brought up under iron discipline is not guarantee for good judgement or good choices. Of course NOT reading books, a total lack of discipline and being brought up under sinful self indulgence is worse. That does not justify the bad choices made by Republicans, being one of the worst the candidate and now president. They rather die than admit they made a mistake. Those who have worked with him and resigned will rather die than admit and expose this very singular person. Neither are exculpated. Not being capable of admitting the mistakes, the errors, the lack of judgment, not being capable of stop and straighten the path and correct said errors, shows the worst of flaws: lack of character and integrity. That is what ¨the chosen one¨ and the republicans are missing now, that is why we are living a lie and we will pay hard the price. A big recession is looming over our heads and we better be prepared, let´s remember: the highest the flight, the hardest the fall.
1
The military mind is fine, there's nothing wrong in carrying yourself thru life instructed by its training. It's all well and good to support the structure you believe in. And a leader who properly delegates downward is one of the main characteristics of a wise one.
But such a mind can miss the point and become lemming-like in its devotion to that structure. It can overlook the whole purpose of the edifice.
In this case its purpose is to serve, as best as possible, the People of these United States. Blind fealty to the structure is what put Mattis in the bind he found himself in. He presumed supporting the POTUS is the same thing as supporting the entirety of the country.
It is not. His life of bent knee to the military structure made him lose sight of that which the structure is designed to support. He bent knee to the wrong thing, he acquiesced to a very flawed man, all under the theory that in so doing he was serving his country. This is what makes him something of a tragic figure.
John~
American Net'Zen
3
Good article but to me it illustrates why I vehemently opposed "Maddog" Mattis' confirmation as DoD secretary: That is NOT an appropriate position for a General/Admiral. We MUST have civilian control of the military to protect our republic.
I wasn't then as concerned about Mattis power-mongering or starting military conflicts... I was concerned that he would be a silent synchophant, afraid to assert his honest opinions.
I'm sorry to say that it appears my concerns were realized. Mattis may well have seen things from this White House that were among the most egregious imaginable... but now we'll never know due to Mattis owing his silence'.
6
That assumes Trump aspires to be a man of character. In Trump's world people like Mattis or anyone not as rich as he is, is a chump.
9
We need him to speak out strongly against the unfit president. That he doesn't, that he is subtle and adult is not what I need. I need him to stand up and say 'Get rid of him'.
Sorry. I am short of niceties any more as the house is burning and politeness doesn't help put it out.
12
Are you joking? If he had character he wouldn’t have taken up with those people to begin with. It’s not as if he couldn’t have done some good some other way or retired.
8
You would have to understand what and how it is to be a Marine. The Corps is akin to a club; a club with very strict rules. The first rule is honor. Honor to and love of one's country. One is not a Marine upon raising your hand and swearing to uphold the Constitution of the U S. That would be too easy. No, one becomes a member of the USMC when he or she finishes boot camp. That's where you finish initiation and become a member. You find your mettle there - your character. Honor, loyalty, sacrifice, are elements of a good start. And there is the mental and physical shaping of a Marine. That is where an unsure hopeful gets to recognize his or her strengths; moral, physical and mental.
General Mattis is a model of the Corps. And he will tell us what it was like working with a dishonorable coward. He will choose his time. His model might be Gen Smedley Butler, USMC. One of the few persons ever to receive two Congressional Medals of Honor, Gen Butler analyzed and exposed the 'military-industrial complex' way before Ike did.
He waited until his time as a subordinate to the Commander in Chief was over and then wrote a book called War Is A Racket. He warned that the military was being used as a tool of unbridled capitalism and that it was dishonorable and grossly wrong. Gen Mattis recognized the corruption that is Trump. He tried to throw himself in front of a train wreck for his country. Trust him to do what is right. P. A. Spletzer, (former - never ex) Captain, USMC.
2
Speak up General Mattis! You owe it to the country. No one except those who are unworthy will question your right, and duty, to speak now.
Thank you for your service—past, present, and future.
4
The problem I have with Mattis is his refusal to take a side. He is retired, he has done his service, he can and should speak freely about the dangers facing us. He talks about the danger of speaking out against the C-in-C but what about the dangers facing the US from this President? Doesn’t Mattis have an obligation to warn us?
7
@ND, Yes, ha does and the sooner the better! We can’t survive another 4 with this man-child.
Unfortunately, for approximately 30 to 38 per cent of the population "character" does not seem to matter. And as for Trump, it seems he equates his power and riches as "character" and will only end up insulting you and/or your family to prove his or your point depending if you are part of his 30-38 per cent.
5
I agree. Loyalty to country trumps loyalty to president.
5
My favorite quote from the article is: “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.” I like it because it is true & telling in an age where some HS students believe reading a book is "boring" and their idea of comprehension is formed on FB & Snapchat. And character...just read comments made on many twitter accounts as to the reverence for prudence and justice (fairness) to get an idea of our cultures reverence for the "engraving" of character. I fear for the future of our Democracy because it will not survive lack of character not only in its leaders, military and civilian, but also, more importantly, in its people.
2
Everyone that worked for Trump and does not come out denouncing his incompetence and debauchery is complicit in his administration’s wrecking of American values and aspirations, and not someone of character to be admired.
4
No, trump is not jealous of mattis. trump likes being evil and petty. it is his nature and character. he loves the attention and will do anything to get it.
5
Perhaps Jim Mattis opening up about his period of sacrifice while working with Trump would influence prospective voters in the next election, but it seems unlikely given the myriad examples of dangerous incompetence we have already lived through. At this point, I fear that a poor economy will be the real influence.
7
@Chris Clark It's tragic that ill has to come to all of us to extricate and eliminate the reason for all this impeding financial misery. Donald Trump will be the most expensive mistake made in the United States for a long time to come and for much of the worst of the past. There are many, many lessons available in this, probably precious few of which will be heeded ever.
Trump wants to be exactly who he is.
That's the problem; he's a narcissist.
He wants the world to love and respect him.
He is angry, fearful, and bewildered that we don't.
He hired stalwart generals because he assumed that they would praise him and show him respect as his employees always have; they were removed when they failed to do so, as are all who refuse to be sycophants.
10
Two comments. First, I agree with those who have written that Trump hardly wishes that he were Mattis and had his character. Trump considers Mattis something of a chump, an artifact of an age that long ago passed, and does not rank character highly.
Second, given what has already been said and written about Trump, would it really matter if Mattis were to come out now and question Trump's competency and fitness to be president? I doubt it.
4
@Richard Unfortunately, it didn't matter when we tried to warn American voters that his record of business dealings and personal behavior were not passing blips but were indeed who and what he really is. We're facing some extremely sad, destructive and perplexing realities about ourselves. Trump is mirroring a large part of our population and it's not likely to ever change. The only hope is young people who are being driven from the Republican party or any interest in belonging to it and away from Evnagelical churches who are nothing more than political parties now.
3
@Richard
You may be right about a potential 'coming out' of Mattis before election day not swaying many voters away from Trump-sky.
But, I may be right in that such a move from Mattis would do considerable damage to Deranged Donald's re-election bid.
The reason: I believe that Stable Genius' semi-hardcore followers are quite enamored with things military. Southerners are particularly well-represented in the armed forces.
A stern rebuke of Trump from such a decorated general, I believe, would motivate these people to take a pass on election day 2020.
The failure of people with direct working knowledge of Trump's inadequacies to speak out, together, forcefully, is a greater dishonor to the office of the president than to remain silent. Donald Trump is no ordinary president. This is not partisan. The damage Trump does to the office every day is catastrophic to the nation. How is there honor in failing to speak out against a man who constantly dishonors the office of president? These people are hewing to a set of rules that their president ignores. Trump defiles the office. Respecting the office demands outing the defiler.
12
Mattis ,one would think, meant well but at every turn was suckered into the Trump orbit and at the end of the day had little important influence. I see no reason why he needs to wait to protect those still serving. If he truly cared about the country, above the Corps, he would open up with the American people and is silence would not wait for some futuree time, especially if Trump would win again.
2
Kudos to Gen. Mattis on a well-received book. However, two observations come to my mind. First, with the publication of this book, we are already seeing calls for Gen. Mattis to run for President as an independent. This reminds me of the calls for Gen. Wesley Clark to run back in 2004. He did run (as a Democrat), and was a flop as a politician. It is ironic that in this country without a King or an official religion, there is so often a longing for a "man on a white horse" to ride in and save us from the dreariness of our current politics. This is a fantasy. The dreariness of politics is our own fault, and no one can save us other than ourselves, by opening up, listening to the people who don't agree with us, and working to forge common ground.
The other observation I have is that if Gen. Mattis does "tell all" about Trump, all that will happen is that Trump will deride Mattis as a "loser," a "Democrat," etc. It won't change any minds, and it will just drag Gen. Mattis down into the muck. To paraphrase that old saw: don't wrestle with a pig; you'll both get dirty and the pig likes it.
6
It is lucky for us, Mr. Trump had a few men of character to work for him in his first years in office. It has blunted some of Trump's clearly corrupt and evil workings. But they are all gone now, like Mattis, driven from office by the affront Trump's actions produce on men with character and honesty. If Mattis is truly a man with devotion to his Marine Corps, and his country, he needs to speak out against the uncivil, corrupt, illegal, and undemocratic actions of Trump. It is almost too late.
3
James Mattis, former and always Marine, owes it to his country to come clean about Donald Trump. This would be his final mission, his final service to his country
Before the next election, Mattis, Cohen, Tillerson, all of them, should jointly issue a statement that details what they think of Donald Trump's: 1. character 2. fitness to serve 3. intellectual grasp on policy issues.
My guess is that saying aloud what they all say to one another would help seal a deal: no 2nd term for this manifestly unfit, amoral, and incompetent president.
2
Cool essay.... but, Trump just wants to be himself. No beliefs about it. He is certain that he's immortal, amazing, a genius, etc. regardless of reality. Colbert said it best - a "heretic of reality."
He surrounded himself with military men because he thought that'd look good but it actually didn't work out 'cause.... they lied or couldn't handle the nastiness of the whole mess we're in.
Not sure about the title of this article. Trump is exactly who he wants to be, i.e. basically a 2 yr old in a man's body. He wants to be impetuous, demanding, bullying, everything that we adults characterize as "the terrible twos." Trump has no aspirations to be courageous or tough. He says he is but then when he cows to pressure from the NRA or the Republicans in the Senate or Mitch McConnell, et. al., he doesn't care one whit how he comes across.
To say that Trump "wishes" to be a certain person would mean Trump has some semblance of integrity or moral fiber or decency or care for his fellow man. He has none of these qualities. He is exactly who he is - a yet to be fully formed child who has no control over his own emotions, complete lack of self awareness and, zero desire or care for anyone else's feelings.
5
I first really noticed Mathis when trump put on that television show where Reince Priebus, Pence and all Cabinet members looked and sounded ridiculous being forced to "praise" trump. Mathis refused.
Mathis has done more since that any Republican Senator. But not enough.
2
"Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
What an empty banality. We have the Mueller report, we have the thousands of documented lies, we have the gratuitously divisive and cruel comments and actions, we have the total lack of empathy and self-awareness, we have the long history of immoral and illegal behavior, we have the vast incompetence. Is this not truly enough?
Brooks's notion that somehow a further revelation of Trump's unfitness by General Mattis will decisively change the political equation represents a bizarre and desperate hope for an unmerited national redemption. We still have Trump in office precisely because our level of institutional corruption is great enough to enable him to block any present efforts at removal.
We still have Trump because a significant minority of the population has been deluded into believing that he is some kind of national avatar, and this cohort is large enough to keep an opportunistic and cowardly political class in line. No quantity of additional unpleasant facts about Trump will change any of these minds.
The problem is not a deficit of information about Trump's fitness and character. The evidence is already overwhelming. The problem is a level of chronic social dysfunctionality that prevents a surfeit of reliable information to have the normal and customary political effect that our constitutional arrangement provides for under such circumstances.
3
The reality is Trump does not wish he was any kind of man, and he cares even less about how pundits like Brooks characterize his morality. Trump has long deluded himself to thinking he is the best of the best, lacks any emotional intelligence and capacity for honest self-assessment, and spins false narratives no matter what the reality.
He has scripted himself into being a character in the Lifetime movie version of his actual life. Only our institutions (judicial system, Congress, et al) holding him accountable for his corrupt actions throughout his life will break him out of his self-induced coma and stage persona. I'm not confident in the odds of that ever happening.
2
Trump is the man he wants to be, but he wants the adoration Obama gets, and therein lies the source of his anxiety and nuttiness. He doesn't see that the man he wants to be and is, isn't going to get what he wants, because it's not worthy of adoration of average people. He can only be admired by the brainwashed and those who want to be like him, and so far, at least, there are not enough of them to give him the love he craves. So he goes bonkers with great regularity.
3
This morning, before I read this, I was thinking of responsibility, an underling's responsibility to resist an immoral order. So what is Marris's responsibility? Certainly to the United States. But how does that play out? It seems to me that his public educated assessment of the Trump Presidency is his moral duty, because the Trump Presidency is destroying our country.
2
“Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard.” That sentence alone is probably the most incisive and insightful look into Trump’s character that has ever been published. It is quite devastating, cruel to some, but ever so true.
3
Part of leadership is not remaining silent, using that silence ....that is a power play. Good leadership would be educating whether trump supporters or not why this man must be removed.
Our leadership now is letting this country down with their silence.their behavior is beyond shame.
1
Who needs a comparison of Mattis to Trump? To say that Trump doesn’t measure up to Mattis and never could hope to... Well, Trump doesn’t really measure up to anyone remotely virtuous, so why bother?
And Trump wanting to be Mattis? I honestly doubt he cares. In his wildest narcissistic fantasies, it might cross his mind that he’s similarly reputed for courage and honor. But at most, he envies the reputation of Mattis, certainly not Mattis’ actual character or achievements.
I think this is all pretty obvious, too. This read felt like a complete waste of time.
2
While Mattis' candid opinion of Trump would be interesting to know, it will not change the opinion of any of Trump's cult followers who blindly support and cherish every single indiscretion, misdeed, lie, etc. this man makes.
For those voters who actually consider Trump's deplorable conduct over the last 2 years, hopefully there will be enough of us who have seen the damage and will vote this man out of office!!
I am hopeful most people will be sane enough to see firsthand the destruction of this country at the hands of this man/child, whether related to ruining the climate by the EPA, instigating racist and religious hatred, sacrificing relationships with our allies, enriching himself at the expense of taxpayers, I can go on.
People of good moral and ethical conscious should have enough reason to vote in 2020 and get him the heck out of the White House. A place he has sullied and denigrated without remorse.
1
The time for General Mattis to speak about trump is NOW. We have been betrayed by both political parties, the Republicans by malfeasance, the Democrats by incompetence. Biden cannot beat trump, yet he is being thrust to the forefront by the same old hands that pushed Hillary on us twice. I don’t think this country can withstand another 4 years and emerge recognizable. General, I swore the same oath as you. I had a Marine Corps drill instructor. I see your duty quite clearly; do it.
1
“Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief.” Do voters really need to know more about Trump’s character to make a decision? If by now you still have not figured out his character or lack thereof, you’d have to be deaf, blind and totally delusional.
2
This piece would have been better without any mention of Trump in the title or elsewhere. We may seek solace in the belief that Trump might seek some sort of redemption and relieve all of us from this anvil of angst attributable to him which we in our millions sit under every day. If Trump read this piece (I know, I know) he would laugh, never mind our wishes otherwise. Trump is Trump and, furthermore, is happy to be Trump. In Trump’s world, anyone who isn’t a Trump acolyte is ‘nasty’ or ‘crazy’ or ‘little’ or any one of dozens of other inappropriate ‘schoolyard’ or ‘locker room’ insults. Put another way, everyone else, including Jim Mattis, is a chump.
Captain Queeg was transferred to a naval supply depot in Iowa on account of erratic behavior. There was a price to pay for testifying to those facts.
Mattis may have to pay a price for speaking out against Trump. But it is better that Mattis be a controversial hero than 327 million Americans suffer a catastrophe.
Marines protect us with a sense of duty and honor. But they are in the business of killing people. President Eisenhower warned us of an inflated military. Joker, the character from "Full Metal Jacket," and his doppelganger David Brooks know we can do better.
2
The more good things that Trump does for America the more everyone sees what a poor president the previous president was. Trump spurred the economy, tax cuts, renegotiated NAFTA and bad trade deals, talks with North Korea who has calmed down significantly, battling illegal immigration and building the wall. The previous president kicked the can down the road on all of these and shoved healthcare down the throats of American business right in the middle of a recession and then scratched his head wondering why businesses weren't hiring. Just pathetic.
It was a foregone conclusion that Trump would dispatch those who didn't lick his boots. Mattis, a man of integrity, resigned on principle, as did Kelly, McMaster, and Coates. Those who remain are boot lickers, with Pompeo at the head of the class. And Trump has the entirety of Republicans in Congress paralyzed to speak against him, fearing for jeopardizing their tenure in office. All boot lickers. Those of integrity leave, and can be counted on one hand (Flake, Corker, Amash, Hurd). We are witnessing the hijacking of one of the two major parties in this country in plain sight.
Elizabeth Holmes, Donald Trump...Either Mattis does not have the ability to recognize a scammer, or he has the ability to look the other way when he stands to profit from the scam. That's some pretty incriminating evidence against the man's character right there.
1
Indeed, if Mattis is truly loyal to the Organization, than the ultimate organization is the USA. And since he cannot be dismissed as a "disgruntled employee", protecting that organization from 4 more years of a despotic lunatic is his duty, aconceptI believe the Marines put front and center.
Most of Trump's supporters are impervious to facts, but a Marine's account of life inside the asylum might make an impression on the remainder....
1
"In Mattis’s career you see something one saw in the great George Marshall’s career:"
That was the wrong thing to say to me.
George Marshall is personally responsible for Mao Tse Tung's takeover of China from the Chiang Kai Shek government which was our ally in World War II.
Marshall made so many mistakes during the time he was personally responsible for China's post World War II recovery process that is rarely recognized.
I’m getting really sick and tired of the deference to the institution that is keeping people from speaking out to help our country. It smells more like fear to me. Mattis must surely see the destruction before him, of the very institutions of government he says his duty to silence is protecting.
1114
@Lisa Murphy People must surely see the destruction before them, of the very institutions of government Mattis says his duty to silence is protecting. Perhaps Mattis thinks people don't and shouldn't see it.
6
@Lisa Murphy
Having grown up the child of one, I would expect no less from an honorable military officer than the restraint that Mattis currently demonstrates. He couldn't, and wouldn't, do a Scaramucci or Omarosa with a gun to his head.
But notice the quote at the end of this essay - “There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever.”
46
@Lisa Murphy Having been in civilian service with the Marine Corps and witnessed the remarkable relationships Mattis forged with Marines of all rank and station, if there is fear (which I doubt) it is for the Corps and what price might be exacted in response to any criticisms from Mattis.
It is far more likely he is conducting himself the way he always has . . . With restraint, decorum, the common sense so often lacking in calculations for self-dealing. My guess is he is exercising strategic patience. He may be ready to speak when it will make the greatest impact. If you strike the king, the blow must kill. Standing by.
33
“There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not going to be forever."
Mattis needs to speak plainly about what he knows. His promise to tell the truth someday -- but not today -- is deeply disappointing. The house is on fire, Trump may be re-elected, and "someday" will be too late.
16
I admire Mattis’ commitment to servicemen and women and his deep sense of loyalty. However, his commitment to Trump and his administration is vexing as it put the administration over country. He offered up his reputation to give Trump the illusion of legitimacy. Mattis indicates he owes some loyalty to the elected leader. It is clear that the election was tainted so loyalty may be misguided. If Mattis is committed to loyalty it should be directed to saving our democracy and we the people.
15
President Obama acceded to the generals more because he knew they are the experts in certain domains or perhaps it was politically expedient to shore up support against the myth that the Democrats are weak on defense. Yet, some generals took that as a weakness and openly criticized the Commander In Chief. In the end though, many realized the hollowness of Trump's militarism and threw their support openly to HRC.
However, you overestimate Trump's motive, Mr Brooks. Everyone is a tool to Trump. If you agree with him, then you are a hero. Or you are a zero. Simple as that. You may think Bolton and Miller are bad influence to Trump. But he picks his staff. When you are used up, he will kick you to the curb. Simple as that. You don't really have to psychologize anything beyond that
12
Mattis is an admirable person. But he is only one person with his own way to love his country. We to realize that within this country there are millions of ways to love it that are admirable. We must be able to appreciate and respect these many forms of love. Trump unfortunately one hasn’t able to find anything beyond love of self.
9
While the fitness and character of the “commander and chief” (or lack there of) have been on display for all to clearly see for 2 1/2 years, there are those that refuse see. Mattis’ unedited reflection of his time spent with Trump would be most welcome. People need to know, particularly before the election!
15
I certainly agree. sometimes rules need to be broken to do what is right. This is one of those times.
8
@sbaMattis (and Rex Tillerson) have a moral duty to the people of the USA to inform us as to whether or not Trump is fit and capable of being President, as well as Commander in Chief. They are shirking their responsibility if they do not tell us the whole story. Their loyalty is to the Constitution and the citizens, not to one current politician.
10
Those men would have moved forward under the pain of bone spurs, if they had them, and not complained.
They advanced to the rank of general as leaders of other soldiers because they possessed qualities that included ability to make snap decisions based upon experience, intelligence, and compassion, among others.
Self aggrandizement, greed, dishonesty, and disloyalty are not part of their characters, for the most part. Only those tied up with trump failed to continue those traits. I guess greed can become contagious.
That’s a reason for requiring a president to have some military experience. It’s not absolutely necessary but I don’t think it hurts.
6
When thousands people were asked to list the qualities they admire in others they responded humility, integrity, honesty, resilency, compassion,respect for human dignity,accepting responsibllity for their actions , self deprecation, and the ability to inspire others through words or actions. Is there any doubt that Donald Trump lacks every single one of these dispostive human qualities? James Mattis's career embraces them all.
19
I rarely agree with Mr. Brooks' bromides or rosy-glassed punditry, but "Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard" is a true gem.
Thank you.
54
Thanks for the reminder of the importance of love in leading a quality life. For Mattis, it seems to be love for the men and women under his command, love of history, and deep love of America. I have also seen it in many other fields, medicine, education. And the most effective love comes through the staff person of the " lowest rank." I remember a nurse's aide who spend most of a night shift at the bedside of a teenager. The patient knew she would die soon, but her parents had been unable to accept that truth and would not let the child talk about anything other than " getting better". That nurse's aide let her vent, cry, laugh, talk about how her family would grieve her. That night was a gift that child deeply needed. She died a few weeks later.
18
@Katydid: I would prefer he show us his 'deep love for America' by helping to save it. This mamby-pamby cowardly way of responding is infuriating to me. Absolutely infuriating.
Our house is burning down and he uses a garden hose to try and put it out.
We need these people to step up and save us not dribble water on us.
I think I have to stop watching/reading any news. I'm ready to spit fire at anyone who will not step up and do the right thing, people who make money off of books and boards and so still have to placate a mentally ill, unfit president.
I could just scream. Yep. Time to turn it all off before my heart explodes.
1
It's comforting to know that there are still men and women like Mattis, both inside and outside the Marine Corps. And people who appreciate those men and women for what they are.
8
This voter does not need Mattis' perspective on Trump to "make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief". Everyday there is an example in plain sight, that he is not fit for the Office.
42
@Tom
It's not about perspective, it's about voices raised in chorus - yes?
Just wondering.
I agree with Jim Mattis. If you understand Semper Fi, saying anything about Donald Trump is a waste of words, time and effort. I can only imagine how torn Mattis felt. Loyalty to his country vs. loyalty to his Commander in Chief? Under the circumstances, it must have been a horror show for him. When I heard that Mattis had joined the administration, I had hopes for a military coup. Frankly, I still do.
14
David, I think I see the problem. I me illustrate with the following: You own a pet, you are trying to figure out why it doesn't like to play fetch, it bites the other dogs, and doesn't like its food. At some point you need to stop trying to analyze your pet and notice it is a lizard, you may want to have a lizard but don't expect it to be a dog. The Don is the same, the lizard brain is in control.
34
@the downward spiral. Excellent analogy. Not only does he have a lizard brain, there is no reptile he more resembles.
This is undoubtedly why Soren Kierkegaard spoke of character as ‘engraved,’ deeply etched.”
Kierkegaard was alluding to the Greek word from which "character" is derived, which refers to the act of engraving.
10
I have long seen "hero", "tragedy" and "freedom" as the three most misused words in the lexicon of what I'll here call honor-speak. Mr. Brooks herein describes a man, General Mattis, as heroic in his role as defender of our freedom. It will be tragic should he, General Mattis, remain tight lipped when our nation's freedom is at stake. No hero he who fails to recognize the gravity of what we face today, perhaps the most critical moment in our country's history.
21
@dove Mattis has very good reasons for keeping silent, and is being frank about them. By all means disagree with them if you see fit, but do not impugn his character because you see his duty differently. He knows a lot about duty. I'm first inclined to trust his judgment on that.
3
Jim Mattis, John Kelly, H.R. McMaster - these "ramrod military men" - were supplied to Trump, not selected by Trump.
He didn't know any of these people.
Since Trump had never anticipated actually being President, he had never bothered to plan for a Cabinet.
McConnell, Priebus, and the rest of the Republican Establishment convinced Trump to hire these long term Republican loyalists.
All of these personnel recommendations had been very carefully vetted over the years, by the Republican Establishment.
They were not going to put someone in place, who would be contrary to The Party's beliefs.
The problems was, Trump is not a Republican.
He's not a Democrat, either.
Nor a Conservative, or a Liberal.
He's just an Attention Junkie, who will do anything and say anything, to get you to pay attention to him.
Whatever will make the crowds at the Rallies cheer for him, that's what he's in favor of.
When your Agenda revolves around just getting Attention for yourself, there is no real need for "ramrod military men".
58
I read Mr. Brooks thoughtful assessment of what seems to be an exceptional work by Jim Mattis and co-writer. More than any desire for Mattis’ honest lambasting of Trump, I was filled with an urge to hear about Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio, Ben Sasse, William Barr, and all the other GOP officials who have sold their souls and abandoned the integrity they once possessed as they support this president. How does a Republican officeholder reconcile the daily lies and incompetence from the White House, with the courage and commitment to this nation exemplified by General Mattis? We waited for Mueller’s voice of truth about Trump. We’ll wait for Mattis’s. It’s the Trump enablers though who need to be exposed and excoriated for the shameful indecency they’ve come to embrace.
29
@PeterKa
Lambasting Trump has become an art form among Democrats, so-called Progressives and of course the not so friendly socialists. I always have to preface what I say by indicating that I did not vote for Trump in 2016 and will not in 2020. That said, I don't see any of the Democrat Candidates who I could vote for in my wildest dreams, Biden included. All of them espouse various forms of increased government intervention in the economy, lots more regulations by the faceless bureaucracy and more government control of health care, the environment and just about every other facet of American life. not to mention "free" stuff. In their way, that group is the antithesis of Donald Trump. And they will surely attempt to cancel everything that Trump and the Republicans have done - just as Trump has tried to change much of the Obama "accomplishments." And so it goes in our messy democratic government. Oh for a President who could really lead the nation by compromising, negotiation and dealing with facts rather than hard wired positions on just about everything, For the Democrats just getting enough votes to get Trump out of office isn't enough: they need to have a convincing platform that does not mean government intrusion into our lives.
1
I’m a little skeptical about the “character” of the U.S. officer corps. When George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, I expected that at least a few senior officers would choose to resign their commissions, as opposed to supporting an obvious political farce. But none of them did.
Veterans of Iraq are now starting to show up in electoral politics, and their voices are a welcome change. However, we don’t find many of the “go along to get along” general officers among them. There are many reasons for this, but I’m not about to go into raptures about the “character” of people who could have acted differently but didn’t.
6
I'm struck by how many pundits heap praise on Jim Mattis and his love for America's most sacred institutions, but hint at withdrawing it if the man isn't more candid about Trump.
Mattis may feel he wants his legacy to be more about what he didn't do, than what he did: serve an immoral leader until he couldn't any more.
It's been reported that Mattis found the president severely lacking in both cognition and character.
Would speaking out in more detail spell it out any more clearly for the American people? Does Mattis have a duty now that he no longer serves to outline exactly what went down when he did?
I can't answer those questions, except to say that I doubt another "tell all" Trump book would change the minds of anyone who plans to vote in the next election.
11
@ChristineMcM I generally agree, but your speculation about what he "wants his legacy to be" rub me the wrong way. I think his legacy is far, far down his list of priorities. That is one of the reasons I respect him so much.
1
@ChristineMcM
I couldn't agree more. If Mattis really loves his country he should let it know how fit for his office Trump is or is not.
1
@ChristineMcM
Mattis need not say anything further. His opinion of Trump is clear, and Trump's lack of character and competence is clear to anyone who cares to see. Coming out in open criticism of Trump won't change any minds. If people can't see the misogynist in the White House now for what he is, one person's opinion, even a respected general, won't make a bit of difference.
2
"Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
As with all the other men and women who were a part of Trump's Administration and then wrote or spoke the truth, Mattis will be labled "fake news" and Trump's base will believe this. But, if Independents, and those on the fence take what Mattis has to say to heart and it impacts their vote, Mattis should follow through on his good character and speak the truth about Trump before the election.
19
The Trump voter identifies with Trump. Revelations about Trump which might seem negative to the rest of us simply reinforce the admiration that his base feels for him.
10
Not to quibble, but Mattis is not a “company man” if that would imply he’d put “the company” above the law. Yet, his failure to target Trump himself in his book shows the institutional tethers requiring a non-political military posture remain strong. That’s good, even though it’s most frustrating to those who’ve pegged Trump for what he is; though a civilian since his retirement before taking the reigns at Defense, once a Marine, always a Marine, and its best one of his stature not enter the political fray this close to his service.
1
Mattis talking candidly about Trump's character will not convince any of the Trump core voters that they were wrong to vote for him in 2016. I just hope that the nominal GOP voters abandon Trump in 2020.
9
To have good character doesn't come automatically. Character is built one step at a time. Finding in oneself a set of values that make one's life have meaning builds integrity, moral gravitas, honesty, trustworthiness. Accepting that to stand for the hard right against the easy wrong is not going to always reward one in others eyes.
IMO, it is very difficult to try and compare Trump to anyone in relation to character and its meaning. You either have it or you don't, and Trump doesn't.
9
This isn't as complicated as David likes to make it - per his usual. Trump is the man he wishes he were. That being self-made in love with his creator.
6
It is not so much that Trump wishes he were that man. It is that he doesn't care about such achievers, save for their value to him as props in his immorality play presidency of posturing and charades.
Trump was initially shrewd enough to appoint such leaders to important positions, as if surrounding himself with their shining military medals and ramrod straightness would somehow convince people that he was as capable and honorable as they, in spite of his own, earlier draft dodging behavior. In his inimitable fashion, they were akin to the large, gilded Trump signs atop his buildings, garishly proclaiming his name to all.
Through his own actions, however, he has lost them all, and the facade he built in order to distract Americans from his own shortcomings has fallen. What is left is a presidency spiraling out of control, led by a president incapable of controlling even himself.
Meanwhile, as Rome burns, Trump continues to spend too much time in front of the mirror, gazing adoringly at himself, while ignoring the chaos he creates.
So, it's not so much that he wishes he were "that man." It's that he actually thinks that he is.
40
I strongly suspect it is precisely Mattis’ Marine Corps mentality that prevents him from informing the public about Trump’s incompetence. He spent his professional life adhering to the chain-of-command. Sadly, this is what prevents him performing what would be a public service for benefit of America. Speaking the truth after a disaster occurs is of little value.
30
No doubt the two people compared in this article couldn't be more different in character. Yet what explains why so many Americans who have courageously and loyally served their country in its military could have voted for the one who lacks any character at all?
24
Any recounting of General Mattis’ career is incomplete without reference to his lead role in destroying Falluja. That set the pattern for his later leadership of the indiscriminate bombing of ISIS-held cities under Trump. The countless civilian deaths in such US military action continues to fuel the very terrorism they were intended to combat.
14
What kind of character does it take to realize the Presidency is held by someone unfit for the office and then to conclude that that fact should not be communicated too loudly? Is “character” post-fact America’s new word for moral turpitude?
17
This is a truly thoughtful, well-written, character-filled review of a man of great character. If character is destiny, next year’s election will be a referendum on the character of the candidates and the American people. Well done!
6
The next election will be a referendum on the character of a broad swathe of the American public.
48
@Paul Arinaga - your comment accurately sums up the problem and solution.
My hope is that this Marine has the good sense to expose Trump for what he is. If Trump wins or loses in 2020 all the words and all the books exposing him after the fact will not matter.
19
The Military may help forge character. Let's not forget, however, that the military is an institution with a mission that supports legalized killing. Service there is ultimately service in support of taking the lives of others.
9
Mattis and Mueller confound me. Both men have been eyewitnesses to the endless amorality of Donald Trump; both likely know things that would still manage to shock even today. But neither will stand up to make a clear, vocal judgment. They couch their concerns behind evasive statements and opaque pronouncements. Why? So they can maintain their reputations for seriousness and stoicism? I believe that to be the case.
And that is what perplexes me so. Do they truly think history’s judgment will care at all about their serious-man demeanor as it recounts Trump’s shredding of decency and goodness? History will offer a clear guide to these past few years, and those who fail to speak out when it would’ve mattered will be lumped in with those who only chose to do so when it didn’t.
60
@sdcga161
Excellent and succinct narrative !!!
3
@sdcga161 How will history judge the Evangelicals?
2
How to forge character in a human being? The concept of developing human character and wisdom as well?
I think two of the biggest hoaxes played on the human race concern character and wisdom. How many times have we heard that this or that institution knows how to form character or that our elders are wiser than the young because of all their experience? Yet the human race is here today with no end of problems for itself, cannot even regulate its own numbers, cannot keep from wasting/destroying the world, and in fact it's routine for even the best minds to say they had nothing like a character forming, wisdom developing upraising and education.
Let me just state baldly that there is little evidence of any character forming, wisdom developing institution of enduring worth in human history and that the appearance of the both over human history has been haphazard like genius in any field, and the formation of a worthwhile institution dedicated to character formation and wisdom is an open project before us, is not to be taken as something already in existence.
So far the people who talk most about character and wisdom seem more concerned about pressing other people into copies of themselves than anything else, that they expect people to either imitate them or "not be displaying loyalty and love". I think it says a lot about humanity that after centuries, after our supposed difference from the animals, we don't have at all a workable understanding of character and wisdom.
10
You cannot possibly think that we need Mattis' perspective to make up our mind about Trump.
Electorally, if Mattis wants to provide a service, it would be to tell the truth about Republican complicity in this absolute moral disaster that is the Trump "administration".
36
If only Jim Mattis would expose Donald Trump.
As a point of rhetoric, is character really persuasive when it functions as a witness to facts that are already out in the open and abundantly clear for all to see? What would he say, that Trump is a man of moral turpitude?
If voters aren’t moved by their honest eyes, would an exposé by Jim Mattis really matter.
12
Mattis and Mueller seem to be cut from the same cloth. Each is revered for a lifetime of decency and dedication to his job. Because of the nature of their jobs this has been extrapolated into courage and love of country. But I have to wonder if, at the most critical moments of their lives, they chose their their reputations over their country.
37
With all this talk about character and person responsibility (by the erstwhile GOP and their supporters- a-la Mr. Brooks et.al.) it's telling that someone like Trump would actually be elected by the GOP rank and file and served by the GOP pols including Mathis, Flynn, McMaster, Kelly etc.
Who would have thunk?
6
The voters should have been able to decide about the unfitness of Trump in 2016. But surely, now, it is even more clear that Trump totally lacks the character to be President.
14
Trump may be drawn by what he perceives to be "winning" personalities, but he has no understanding of what makes men such as Mattis winners. With Trump it is all about the game and not in terms of playing for the best all around outcome, but rather in terms of beating the opposition to submission. And we call those who are like Mattis winners and those who are like Trump bullies and it is fascinating, at least to me, that so many Trump supporters are not aware that there is a difference.
9
"Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
I would welcome Mr. Mattis speaking out as to what he witnessed while a member of the Trump administration. But, honestly, rational people should need no further evidence than what Trump supplies on a daily basis to realize the man is unstable and unfit to be president of the United States.
32
@Alan R Brock
Amen brother. Amen.
If you asked James Mattis if his loyalty to the Marine Corps is more important to him than his loyalty to America, he probably would either say, “Of course not,” or “They’re one in the same.”
The difference between those two responses is important.
One suspects that General Mattis would say that the Corps and the country are the same. That viewpoint is and was the General's problem.
General Mattis served Donald Trump by trying to let Trump reach the right conclusions on an issue by gently and respectfully mentioning practical problems of implementation to a particular approach without being openly judgmental.
That is the military way of doing things by keeping chain of command always in the forefront.
It would have been better if Mattis had said, “Mr. President, this is just not right for America to be doing such things to these people.” Trump probably would have persisted with his original cruel and rash tactic, but he might have slowed down, cooled down or softened a bit.
Now, it is General Mattis who needs to be persuaded that he is on the wrong course. He must be encouraged to speak more frankly about Donald Trump and with more specifics before the 2020 election. The General will do so, if people he respects tell him that he owes it to America.
16
What I cannot comprehend about Mattis and all the other so-called "adult" Cabinet members who initially joined Trump's Administration in 2017 - What were they thinking? Didn't they do their homework about this man? Did they not hear what he had said in past public statements? Were they so convinced of their own superiority that they convinced themselves that they could either change Trump or influence him? Hadn't they met him in private and been exposed to his shallow vapidity and lack of eloquence and character? By joining his administration, they gave him an initial sheen of competence which he never deserved and never could have earned on his own.
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Very well said!
2
Nope. My vote is Winston Churchill. The rest are also rans. With great respect to "Chaos."
1
David's view of the character of Mattis is affirmed by his success in leadership willingly supported by his troops. What is not understandable with the present "Commander-in-Chief" is the wide support he gets from our troops when he violates the integrity Mattis so well manifested.
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Mattis will be conflicted by his loyalty to POTUS and his love for his country and its ideals and values. Hopefully he will recognize that another Trump term will do irreparable damage to the country that he loves and served with distinction during his military career. Truth must prevail. Mattis has an overriding duty to out Trump as simply unfit for high office. America comes first. Loyalty to Trump is secondary.
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@Milton Lewis
I don't think it will matter what Mattis says, if he speaks.
"Mattis reads Roman writers like Marcus Aurelius, but he is no stoic. Decade after decade he is touring some front or another, starting a million affectionate conversations. “How’s it going?” “Living the dream, sir,” is how those conversations begin."
I think you misunderstand stoicism. It is in fact an intensely social philosophy, where doing your societal duty in a morally just way and valuing friendships are key to living a good life.
The misunderstanding lies in that stoics try not to worry about that which they don't control, which to the unobservant might look like they don't feel much. But feelings, the things we do control, are actually very important to stoics. A good stoic is kind and loving to their fellow human. They try just not to need external things for their happiness.
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@Bart Immerzeel
Well, yes. But a fellow human is an external thing, and trying not to be unhappy at the loss of a person you loved is the point at which Stoicism loses my admiration. There is something chilling about the line in Rudyard Kipling’s “If,” where that great modern Stoic recommends an attitude in which “neither foe nor loving friend can hurt you.”
1
@PL
I completely understand, and yes, that is what stoicism is like in practice. But stoicism does not say not to be sad when losing someone because this relationship was not valuable, but because whether you have this person in your life or not is not in your control. It is on loan to you, and can disappear anytime, and it's not good for anything to have your happiness depend on something you have no control over. So it says: value every second you have with them, but be ready to lose them and accept that you will. This actually makes you value relationships more, because you continually realize they are temporary, like everything is.
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@Bart Immerzeel
Excellent that you clarified this.
1
David Brooks, this is one of your best articles. The Atlantic article you mention is also excellent.
Mattis, like Mueller, shows restraint. Both choose their words carefully. They think before they speak. Both are model citizens. Alas they seem quaint in today's unrestrained Twitter culture.
Congress compelled Mueller against his wishes to end his silence and the result was underwhelming. Many of us understandably desire the brave stoic Marines to rescue us from our political adversaries. But that is not the Marine's role. It is our role as voters and political contributors. Thank you and Goldberg for doing your parts. There is nothing ambiguous about Mattis' opinion.
"Call Sign Chaos" is next on my list of hundreds of books read.
READ MORE. TWEET LESS.
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Mattis is a worthy topic, period. The general’s silence tells me all I need to know and spares me all I can no longer bear.
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Really? I think Trump is perfectly happy being Trump. He had many opportunities to choose a different path. Instead he chose to spend many years loving prostitutes and eastern European women, lead many a company into bankruptcy, and he's rip off just about every contractor he's worked with. I'm pretty sure Trump's character is deeply etched, I'm pretty sure it's exactly who he wants to be. He likes the ilk of Mattis and other generals only for the satisfaction it gives him to order his school-day type instructors around. He doesn't care what they think or can do, that's irrelevant to him because only he can solve America's problems. Trump doesn't want to be Mattis, he wants to own him. Mission accomplished.
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@Jonathan
Your point is skewed because no one denies Trump's outlandish self-regard. He has never liked anyone suggesting he's wrong or that his "policies" are cracked, dangerous or worse.
But even the proven, craven types can never be craven enough, so they tend to go or get fired.
Why anyone ever worked for him is something I can't understand; even just a career-move motive ends in tears.
2
David thinks "it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election." It would have been even more proper for him to end his silence now. For all the praise he's getting, his statement about the country's predicament is so fuzzy it hardly has any effect. For all his military bravery, he didn't stand up for the country when it would have counted more heavily than anything he did on the battlefield.
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One of the best single sentences written about Trump: "Trump is a man who has been progressively hollowed out by the acid of his own self-regard."
It would be very informative to hear from Mattis about his time working for Trump, but doing so could potentially expose him to being charged under Article 88 of the UCMJ. In the past, that would've been unthinkable because a senior official like Mattis should be able to say and write what he wants about his service to the country. But in the age of Trump, there's no respect given to past traditions or service. I could totally see a scenario in which Trump would call Mattis back to active duty in order to charge him with Article 88.
16
A NEW REALITY:
As an ascending totalitarian opposition emerges, the Democrats must adopt a far more politically expedient strategy to remove Trump, maintain a majority in the House and gain a majority in the Senate in 2020. The Democratic Party must recognize the imperative of building a strong alliance with the Armed Forces, which will be necessary should they have to remove Trump, notwithstanding a successful election outcome. A strong judicious leader of irreproachable character is General James Mattis. The former Secretary of Defense, should be approached by the Democratic Party to run for Presidency. Here is a man who staunchly supports the values of American Democracy. As a centrist he would also appeal to the greatest number of voters.
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@Wireshane The most chilling sentence of your post brings to the forefront of my fears and those of many others, the upheaval that the future will certainly bring.
"The Democratic Party must recognize the imperative of building a strong alliance with the Armed Forces, which will be necessary should they have to remove Trump, notwithstanding a successful election outcome"
11
@Wireshane I would never vote for an ex-senior military man.
Being a civilian leader and a military leader are two very different things.
@Mike
Point taken, but you foreclose on that transitional leader's sagacity to know the difference, and the additional insight to admonish us against ie. the now realized hazards of the 'military-industrial complex'. The military's footprint during reconstruction seems to have been maybe TOO restrained. Furthermore, the two term tradition of the national executive was established by whom?
I always thought that considering loyalty and loyalty received from others to be a desirable trait to be misguided. Perhaps gaining respect from others through a steady application of ethical behavior and thoughtful compassion, but certainly not “loyalty.”
14
@Bryan
Loyalty to the man. Loyalty to the office. It’s a hard distinction to make, but civilization has depended on it in the past. Think of the continuance of Roman civilization under some of the crazier emperors.
If these men had courage and character, why didn't they remove Trump from office? As far as I'm concerned they should not have allowed their loyalty to the president overshadow their loyalty to our country and constitution.
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David writes about love as motivational. Intrinsic to love is respect. Without respect, there is no love. Respect Gen. Mattis had for his staff allowed him to trust their judgement in carrying out their duties.
Empathy is also part of love. An empathetic leader comforts and unifies people in times of tragedy. Compare Beto's response to the El Paso shooting with Trump grinning, thumbs up, as he posed with an infant orphaned by the same shooting.
Trump lost patience with his generals for questioning his judgement, and has replaced them with sychophants. His orbit of influence is shrinking but also concentrating in ways that negatively impact many people and places. Apathy, as it turns out, can be an extremely destructive force.
11
Do you think that Mattis will reveal anything about trump before the next election? If he doesn't does that cause a problem with his character? Does he think that trump is bad for the country? At times, it's hard to tell where character ends and secrecy begins. Mattis did work for trump, not the other way around.
13
@timesguy What could Mattis tell us that we do not already know?
For a man who wrote the book on character, well A book on character, anyway, Mr. Brooks seems only naive about men of real character. Yes, Mr. Mattis served in the military and served our president, but he's now serving himself since he rejoined the board of General Dynamics and will now profit from detaining immigrants since it works with Health and Human Services in implementing its zero tolerance policy. Funny, that John Kelly ended up there, too. So many men of character.
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and that Elizabeth Holmes thing too.
2
And the board of the Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes scam.
1
@Pontifikate Correct, the great 'patriot' and man of "character" is now profiting off the suffering and misery of children in America's concentration camps. Mattis has joined Kelly in showing us their 'true colors': greed.
7
I see the comments about Trump wishing he was a man like Obama, but isn’t that saying that the Don has some sense of what character is? And that he knows he lacks it, and presumably wishes to be regarded as someone who does? I do not see any evidence that he recognizes any of those traits that define a moral and decent person, they are as foreign to him as the Bible or the Constitution. Power is all he respects, and he has shown in word and deed that any path to that end is equivalent. Don’s disease means he can never know empathy, love or respect, and he will never want to be anyone but who he is. Sad.
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@Mark Andrew Trump doesn't want character. He wants the appearance of character because it might impress someone. Remember he has fake a Renoir and has given fake Harry Winston cufflinks as gifts. All he cares about is the impression something creates.
1
Mostly right, Mark Andrew, but it's important to also mention that he respects not just power, but money....always the telltale sign of a sociopath.
The 'rich' often measure themselves by their money...because their insides are completely empty.
1
@Mark Andrew What Trump would want of Obama is the celebrity part.
I appreciate Mattis's courage to step down from the Trump administration with his reputation intact.
But the same man advocated for Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos while still a general, was paid to sit on the board during the fraud and then was never held accountable along with his fellow board members for one of the biggest corporate cons in recent history.
Spanking clean hero? I think not.
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@Papaya
What that shows to me is that Mattis is not a molecular biologist or bioengineer and that the board was intentionally composed of members who were inherently incompetent in what they were supposed to direct.
You are correct, he should have recused himself from the beginning.
But in all honesty, he was not the only one who was duped. It is the investors who fell for that fraud who should hold their own noses. They were obviously investing in something they did not even understand the basics of. Nobody with a biochemistry background believed the Theranos claims, so why did they?
2
The first time I caught a glimpse of Trump was on a small black and white T.V., in the same year that Clifford Irving was being courted by a publishing house for his manuscript on Howard Hughes. Interviewed, the author was lying on the screen, I thought.
As for Trump, the sentence he has a 'slack-jaw' came to mind for the first and last time in my vocabulary; a floating thought and a sense of weakness revealed.
At the end of the beginning of this era, Trump announced that he had The Military behind him. The kind of manly virtues that appease and appeal to many of his supporters. Our Cowboy Folklore plays a part here, where a man has to do what a man has to do.
General Mattis has served his country, and he may not wish to be profiled along with Trump, but there is reason to believe that the Nation might listen to what he had to say about our strength of character in the face of adversity.
When my husband, a musician, died suddenly twenty years ago, I stopped listening to music. But earlier a song surfaced out of the blue, and it begins 'I'm so sorry Uncle Albert', but what this means, I do not know and went searching for the lyrics, where an admiral features with hands over water.
God Bless America.
1
@Miss Ley What?
Superb sum-up: "Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."
I don't always agree with Brooks, though often do, but so appreciate his insight and wisdom on these things. Character is at the heart of our current crisis with Trump. Alas, it's a nationwide public problem, not just one with the president.
30
He is a patriot, but he is no hero. A hero would be brave and come forth and lead a charge against what Trump stands for.
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What Trump stands for is to lie to the Americans and then tell us about how great the economy is. He is so Machiavellian that he cares only about appearing religious above all. He values capitalism but not republican virtue.
1
@mark - He is who he is and I do not believe that he would ever claim to be a hero. If you're looking for a hero, there are plenty around - even the flavor who speak frankly about Trump's lack of character and are clamoring to lead that charge. Jim Mattis owes silence to those who are still in the fight. They can't continue to fight the good fight if they are ousted by the politically opportunistic sycophants that infest and debase the US armed forces.
2
Mark, thank you for pointing out this critical difference. Spot on. Where are the heroes to put our country first and before a corrupt president?
3
I admire Brooks’ praise of Mattis’s background and character. Unfortunately, Mattis agreed to work for Trump. What did he expect to happen? Despite his struggle to work for him and remain “untainted,” by joining the Trump Administration he was already tainted and he should not be surprised by that.
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@Michael Pesch I can only imagine what it felt like to be Mattis, likely already revolted by Trump, but also bound by a deep sense of duty to Country. As evidenced by his refusal to brown nose at the round table where everyone else was embarrassingly bowing to Dear Leader, he must've thought himself separate from the sycophants, serving a cause much larger than Trumps ego and much more serious than his buffoonery. Was that really a miscalculation? What's to be said of those who genuinely tried to steer the ship in a safe direction? I don't pretend to know the answer, but according to the op-ed by Comey, it eats your soul.
I thought one of the most telling things about General Mattis happened early in his tenure. When the president sat down in front of TV cameras with his cabinet for the first time, he went around the table asking each member to say a few words. Almost to a person, each cabinet member fawned and groveled before Trump, praising him for the blessing he bestowed among them all. It was quite a disgusting spectacle until he came to General Mattis. Mattis looked straight ahead and declared what an honor it was for him to work with and on behalf of the great men and women in the military. Then I knew he was the real deal.
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@Game Wazny;Secretary Mattis has shown himself to be a man of the utmost honor and integrity throughout his involvement with Trump.
The particular episode which you refer to is a standout situation of his true character, loyalty to his country shown without demeaning the ridiculous man he was working for.
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@Game Wazny
I remember that and how Mr Trump looked.
8
@Game Wazny
Is this the standard of greatness now? Does all it take to be a standout in the American ruling class is to NOT grovel to a narcissistic sociopath in front American public in a televised spectacle?
7
I believe David most admires Mattis for his obedience and for not making waves. I get there are times for this. But sometimes you do have to measure ultimate consequences before you commit to the work. Sometimes you have to see beyond the horizon and beyond the institution you belong to. Being stoic is not necessarily good character, it can mean a blindness to one’s participating in evil doing. It can mean and does mean disregarding one’s responsibility to one’s own ethical autonomy.
Mattis and Trump can be seen to be much the same in that they are both firmly committed to the group they grew up in. Their loyalty is to that group and they have both shaped their personalities to be admired by the people’s within their group. Their group dictates to them what their character and behaviours and values should be and I believe Mattis is a fitting general and Trump is a fitting rich guy.
David Brook seems to think that being good and ethical should be easy. Nobody likes good people, David. Nobody likes vegans because they are good because killing is bad. It’s hard not kill but vegans do their best.
7
Disagree with last sentence. We do not need Mattis to form a judgment about this president. But I welcome his forthright opinions should he wish to share them. He need not worry (as he seemed to in an interview) that criticism of the president would “endanger” the commander in chief. Criticism need not be an attack, also Mattis is now a civilian, he is not active military. Of course he was formed by experience in the Marines, but he served in the current administration as a civilian in a political position that required Senate confirmation.
9
I am in agreement with those who believe the General needs to speak out about the Trump he knows, both as a human being and as a president.
It is understandable that Mattis, as a military man, feels he needs to support the CIC, and respect the office of the presidency. But the current occupant of that office does not respect it. In fact, he defiles it and embarrasses our country on a daily basis, and he is endangering the future of our democracy, even our planet.
Men and women in a position to warn the voters of the folly of giving Trump four more years must publicly enumerate their concerns, either individually or collectively, with the latter being preferable. A substantial group of "his generals," former cabinet members and high-ranking officials, even previous presidents, sounding the alarm with one voice would frustrate Trump's ability to deflect by personally insulting any one critic.
Generals Mattis and McMaster, Rex Tillerson, Dan Coats, etc., need to recall the warning of Edmund Burke: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
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@Patricia
Timing will be everything.
2
Mr. Brooks;
you are doing an incredible job of writing about how indecent a person Donald Trump is - and putting up a great backstop for the 2020 election.
Your words are often poetry, your insights are brilliant, and your spine is obvious.
Your efforts to grow as a person have enriched my life - thank you for doing the work, speaking truth to power, and making yourself both vulnerable and available.
27
@David Roy Your comment is the quintessence of "fulsome praise." Just an observation.
..."it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election. Voters need his firsthand perspective to make a judgment about the fitness and character of the commander in chief."...
Not only proper but a duty.
We are required to vote, it is a duty if you give a wit about the health of America and the wider world.
Sad it's taken me decades to end my rationalizing my cynicism.
13
Outstanding column.
I appreciate General Mattis’s discipline, commitment and character, which have served the nation well.
General Mattis’s resignation, although a principled and for excellent cause, leaves the nation much the poorer.
15
I think most of us recognize people of good character when we've had a chance to see them in the world for awhile. And I believe we know people of poor character after being exposed to them as well. Enough said.
15
Unfortunately, Mattis is not a political guy but a soldier. I think it's highly unlikely that he will speak out against his former Commander in Chief. It's sad. We could benefit from his insight. Maybe it would be useful for him to re-evaluate where his allegiances really should be now that he is retired.
16
Will the words of Mattis--if he chooses to speak--really change anything for the election or Trump?
Why would the faithful Trump supporters listen to what someone tells them if they refuse to see and believe that which is already prominently displayed right in front of them?
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@THW
My thought exactly.
Why do we need to know what Trump is like in private. Isn’t it enough that we know what he is like in public?
50
"Like Goldberg, I think it would be proper for Mattis to end his silence about Trump before the next election."
As a true patriot, Gen. Mattis should end his silence about Trump before Trump starts a war.
25