{"id":132140,"date":"2016-12-01T22:04:37","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T05:04:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/12\/01\/trump-nominates-a-mad-dog-for-defense.html"},"modified":"2016-12-11T16:34:42","modified_gmt":"2016-12-11T23:34:42","slug":"trump-nominates-a-mad-dog-for-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/12\/01\/trump-nominates-a-mad-dog-for-defense.html","title":{"rendered":"Trump nominates a "Mad Dog" for Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Mattis is actually only a sigma or so off plumb, as such things go. What''s a more interesting question is whether Congress will accept Trump's (implicit) request to waive established law to let Mattis be Defense Secretary when less than seven years have passed since he was in active service.<\/p>\n

(There's a reason that's the law: the idea of reinforcing the civilian control over the military by putting in ten, then reduced to seven, years between active service and being the civilian head of the military. It's a good idea, only once ever waived by Congress, in 1947 when General George Marshall was nominated as Defense Secretary.)<\/p>\n

Will Congress kind of shrug and say, "Whatever, if Trump wants it, he can have it"? Stay tuned …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
\n<\/a>
\nTrump picks retired Marine Gen. James Mattis for secretary of defense<\/a><\/span>
\nThe decision will require nearly unprecedented legislation from Congress because Mattis is recently retired.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Mattis is actually only a sigma or so off plumb, as such things go. What''s a more interesting question is whether Congress will accept Trump's (implicit) request to waive established law to let Mattis be Defense Secretary when less than seven years have passed since he was in active service. (There's a reason that's … Continue reading “Trump nominates a "Mad Dog" for Defense”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,532,17,349],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts","category-elections-2016","category-homeland-security","category-military"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":132598,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/01\/20\/the-unencumbered-president.html","url_meta":{"origin":132140,"position":0},"title":"The Unencumbered President","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 20-Jan-17 2:08pm","format":false,"excerpt":"So what was the first thing Donald Trump signed into law as President of the United States?Something that let him skip another law and get his way.In particular, he signed a law allowing his nominee for Defense Secretary, James Mattis, to actually take the office. That's because Federal Law --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/trump-smirk5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/trump-smirk5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/trump-smirk5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":135989,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/mr-mattis-build-wall.html","url_meta":{"origin":132140,"position":1},"title":"“Mr. Mattis, build up that wall!”","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 27-Mar-18 8:11pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Having been unable to get Mexico to do it, and even unable to get Congress -- even a GOP-majority Congress[1] to actually fund his zany border Wall proposal -- the Donald has lit upon the genius idea of having the Department of Defense build it! After all ... (a) This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/unnamed-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":133684,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/06\/15\/on-the-incoherency-of-trumps-foreign-policy.html","url_meta":{"origin":132140,"position":2},"title":"On the incoherency of Trump's foreign policy","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 15-Jun-17 11:22am","format":false,"excerpt":"Qatar. Is it a critical partner of US Gulf Policy? The Donald Trump of the Middle Eastern summit said so.Is it a \"funder of terrorism at a very high level,\" allied with those dastards in Iran? The Donald Trump of a few days after the summit, when Qatar's neighbors broke\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":160950,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2026\/01\/17\/pete-hegseth-thinks-stars-and-stripes-is-too-woke.html","url_meta":{"origin":132140,"position":3},"title":"Pete Hegseth thinks Stars and Stripes is too “Woke”","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 17-Jan-26 11:45am","format":false,"excerpt":"In Trumpland, \"Independence\" is something to engrave on a wall, not actually allow for anyone.","rel":"","context":"In "Censorship"","block_context":{"text":"Censorship","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/censorship"},"img":{"alt_text":"trump cpac 2019 flag","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/trump-cpac-2019-flag.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/trump-cpac-2019-flag.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/trump-cpac-2019-flag.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/trump-cpac-2019-flag.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":134465,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/27\/adults-room-try-reassure-us-everything-will-fine.html","url_meta":{"origin":132140,"position":4},"title":"As the adults in the room try to reassure us that everything will be fine","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 27-Aug-17 5:08pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Two very odd (well, in terms of \"normal\" US politics) notes from two of the more \"mature\" senior cabinet members, Tillerson and Mattis. First, Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, appearing on\u00a0Fox News Sunday, where he was asked by Chris Wallace about the UN\u00a0Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Geopolitical Brouhaha"","block_context":{"text":"Geopolitical Brouhaha","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/geopolitical-brouhaha"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/landscape-1489587931-tillersonmattis1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/landscape-1489587931-tillersonmattis1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/landscape-1489587931-tillersonmattis1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/landscape-1489587931-tillersonmattis1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":133041,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/03\/14\/at-least-one-federal-department-is-responding-to-climate-change.html","url_meta":{"origin":132140,"position":5},"title":"At least one federal department is responding to Climate Change","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 14-Mar-17 5:12pm","format":false,"excerpt":"James Mattis -- like quite a few folk in the Defense Dept. (a situation going back to the G W Bush years) -- takes climate change very seriously, as a clear and present danger. That's not surprising, as climate change has a direct impact on population movements, conflicts over water\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132272,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132140\/revisions\/132272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}