The media is making much hay out of the fact that General Mattis resigned as President Trump’s Defense Secretary with a resignation letter that aired his grievances with the President’s foreign policy views. The media loves stuff like that because they think it makes the President look dumb and uninformed, in contrast to the “decorated” general.
But let’s go back to the beginning to find the first fissure and let us see if indeed Mattis was the bigger man or not.
In early 2017 the President signed an order to forbid transgendered people from entering the armed forces. From the reports that have come out, it was Gen. Mattis that thwarted and prevented the implementation of this new policy (which was simply a reversion to the policy of a few years ago). At this point it’s important to recall the order of things: the president is the commander in chief. The defense secretary is his subordinate. The defense secretary informs and advises the president. The president makes the actual decisions. The defense secretary carries out the president’s orders. This is how a sane government works. President Trump’s order (to exclude the transgendered) is logical and promotes the common good of the armed forces. As such, Gen. Mattis had absolutely no moral authority or standing to prevent its implementation.
From there, things unraveled.
Shortly after these events, we began to read reports in the media that the President was making foreign policy decisions without consulting his defense secretary. Well… why would he? Seriously — why would he? Mattis couldn’t carry out a simple order. What trust should the President have had in him after that?
It is surprising that Mattis lasted as long as he did. For how can a military be effectively run if members are free to ignore the orders of their superiors? Surely a general would know this?