Political Quotes

“today I will vote for James Mattis to be the next Secretary of Defense. General Mattis stands out as a top practitioner in his field. He has earned--and rightly deserves--near- universal respect. While I opposed the hurried waiving of a carefully considered statutory cooling off period for members of the military before they can become eligible for this civilian position, I made clear then, and restate now, that my opposition to this waiver was never about General Mattis himself. I was grateful when General Mattis said in his confirmation hearing that, even from his first days as a marine, he has observed that, in the photographs on the walls of Department of Defense establishments, the civilians in suits were above those of the men and women in uniforms. I was pleased that he vowed to uphold that meaningful tradition. I am confident that, as the President's top adviser on matters of defense, as Secretary, General Mattis will carefully provide considered defense advice, maximizing the wisdom of not only the Active, Reserve, and National Guard, but the whole of the Department of Defense, including Department civilians. Donald Trump will sorely need that experience and advice.…”