Political Quotes

“Mr. President, Gen. Jim Mattis is an extraordinary individual and an American patriot who has dedicated his life to service of country. Nevertheless, his nomination did concern me, given that it was contrary to underlying law that has been in place since World War II. This law restricts individuals who have come out of the military less than 7 years ago from serving as Secretary of Defense. The reason for this longstanding law is to ensure civilian control over the military. Civilian control is an important American tradition which General Mattis himself called a ``fundamental tenet of the American military tradition.'' Due to this fundamental concern, I opposed the legislation to create an exception to the law to allow General Mattis to serve. I intend to oppose any future such exceptions for any future President as long as I serve in the Senate. However, now that the exception exists for General Mattis, and he is eligible to serve and has been nominated, I supported his confirmation today. During his confirmation hearing, he clearly stressed that he understood his new role and would work to ensure the longstanding American tradition of civilian control. He will serve at the pleasure of the new President, but his job now is not to simply give and follow orders, but provide candid advice, ask tough questions, provide civilian leadership, and exert broad management over all aspects of DOD, not only warfighting. During his career in the U.S.…”