Outside the estate where Trump held court this weekend, Trump deemed Mattis "the real deal." How sweet. Here are 6 more facts you need to know about him:
1. He served over four decades in the marines.
Mattis spent 44 years in the Marine Corps, rising in the ranks and ultimately running the U.S. Central Command. He retired from the post in 2013, which means...
2. Technically, he's not eligible for this job.
Federal law stipulates that the secretary of defense cannot have been on active duty for at least seven years, so, if Mattis is confirmed, he'll need Congress to issue him a waiver in order to take the position. Given that Republicans control both chambers, it doesn't seem Mattis has reason to be worried about it. It "would likely be a formality," according to CNN. Rules—why bother!
3. His nicknames are "Warrior Monk" and "Mad Dog," so you know he's chill.
At 66, Mattis has never been married and has no children. His single-minded focus on and penchant for combat have earned him these cute nicknames. Really paints a picture of just the kind of slow and cautious dude I want to guide of our armed forces.
4. He thinks it's "fun to shoot some people."
Discussing the use of force in Afghanistan, Mattis said in 2005 that he enjoyed the violence. "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," he said. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left, anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot."
"It's fun to shoot some people," he added. "I'll be right up front with you; I like brawling."
The comments generated considerable controversy. Responding, Mattis later said that he should have chosen his words more carefully.
5. He's a reader!
Mad Dog
Some good news! Mattis is a "voracious reader," according to the Telegraph. He has at least 6,000 books in his personal library and likes to carry a book of quotes from Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and stoic, into battle.
6. He's a critic of the Iran deal (but he doesn't think we can scrap it).
Delivering a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in April 2016, Mattis said that he believed the Obama administration had been too lenient with Iran and was naïve to accept the terms of the nuclear deal. But he isn't about to propose America start from scratch. "What we achieved was a nuclear pause, not a nuclear halt. We're going to have to plan for the worst," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/14/politics/james-mattis-trump-defense/
