Mattis faces criticism for trying to take ‘middle road’ on Trump

WASHINGTON — Former defense secretary Jim Mattis has broken months of silence with an indirect critique of President Donald Trump’s leadership in a new book and interview. But Mattis’s effort to distance himself from the White House has sparked new criticism of his tenure at the Pentagon and the way he has straddled his political and military identities.

Even in retirement, Mattis has sought to play the role of the responsible, apolitical, respected Marine. In an essay published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, Mattis obliquely attacked Trump’s dismissive treatment of U.S. allies, without mentioning the president by name.

„Alone, America cannot protect our people and our economy,“ Mattis wrote. „A leader must display strategic acumen that incorporates respect for those nations that have stood with us when trouble loomed.“

In an interview published Thursday in The Atlantic, granted in part to promote his book, „Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead,“ Mattis defended his decision not to directly air his grievances with the president.

„You don’t endanger the country by attacking the elected commander in chief,“ he said. „I may not like a commander in chief one fricking bit, but our system puts the commander in chief there, and to further weaken him when we’re up against real threats — I mean, we could be at war on the Korean peninsula.“

Mattis’s approach — in which he vaguely describes his frustrations with Trump and then says he can’t criticize him — has brought a hail of disapproval from critics.

„I think he has one of two paths: He can either remain silent . . . or he can go out with very active discussion about the direction we should go and the problems with the president of the United States,“ said Loren DeJonge Schulman, who was as a Defense Department official in the Obama administration. „I don’t think there is a middle road.“

Schulman, who is now a fellow at the bipartisan Center for a New American Security, described Mattis’s approach as „incredibly naive“ and a reflection of a „lack of political astuteness“ that she said was apparent during his tenure as Pentagon chief.

Others argued that Mattis’s silence amounts to a tacit endorsement of the president and his policies.

By DAN LAMOTHE AND GREG JAFFE

Source: stripes.com

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