Former Sec. of Defense speaks about why he resigned.

Former Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration, Gen. James Mattis, who resigned in December 2018, is writing a book, with some preliminary thoughts published now in a op-ed piece today in the Wall Street Journal.

Here's the gist:

In the essay, Mattis suggested he left his post as secretary of defense amid concerns about “keeping faith with our allies,” warning that America “cannot go it alone.”
“Nations with allies thrive, and those without them wither. Alone, America cannot protect our people and our economy,” Mattis wrote. “At this time, we can see storm clouds gathering.”

He pointedly added: “A polemicist’s role is not sufficient for a leader. A leader must display strategic acumen that incorporates respect for those nations that have stood with us when trouble loomed.”

Mattis said he “did as well as I could, for as long as I could” as secretary of defense.
In one section, he essentially wrote that he resigned when he felt his concerns about those alliances were not being taken seriously.

“When my concrete solutions and strategic advice, especially keeping faith with our allies, no longer resonated, it was time to resign, despite the limitless joy I felt serving alongside our troops in defense of our Constitution,” Mattis wrote.

Mattis went on to note his deepest concerns "as a military man," noting they are "not our external adversaries; it is our internal divisiveness."

“We are dividing into hostile tribes cheering against each other, fueled by emotion and a mutual disdain that jeopardizes our future instead of rediscovering our common ground and finding solutions,” he wrote. “All Americans need to recognize that our democracy is an experiment — and one that can be reversed. We all know that we’re better than our current politics.”

He added: “Tribalism must not be allowed to destroy our experiment.”

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This excerpt from Jim Mattis, probably the most respected person serving in the Trump administration, continues my focus on the increasing number of centrist, rational, and restrained voices who are beginning to speak out about the increasing unfitness of Donald Trump to continue as our president.

Even when they do not explicitly call for his removal from office, whether by the 25th Amendment process, by impeachment, or by defeat at the polls, their message is clear.   We cannot safely endure another four years of this presidency.

Ralph