{"id":25246,"date":"2016-12-07T13:47:16","date_gmt":"2016-12-07T21:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=25246"},"modified":"2016-12-07T13:47:16","modified_gmt":"2016-12-07T21:47:16","slug":"is-mad-dog-such-a-bad-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2016\/12\/07\/is-mad-dog-such-a-bad-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Mad Dog Such a Bad Dog?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I trust that you all know already that the Fuhrer has appointed Mad Dog Mattis to serve as Secretary of Defense, and that Mattis has not yet been separated from the military for the seven years required to hold that post.  My gut instinct is to oppose the appointment, but I wonder.  Is Mad Dog such a bad dog?<\/font><\/p>\n

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\"1207mattis\"<\/p>\n

Several Democratic lawmakers are raising concerns about Congress passing legislation<\/a> to allow retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis to be secretary of defense so soon after taking off his military uniform. But President Obama\u2019s former defense secretary Leon Panetta believes Mattis should get the waiver and the job, he told me in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that the Congress in the process of providing that waiver makes sure that Jim Mattis understands that he has to play a role not just on the military side but also on the civilian side. I think he does,\u201d Panetta told me on the sidelines of the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Panetta also said the 1947 law<\/a> mandating that a defense secretary be out of uniform for 10 years \u2014 later changed to seven \u2014 was \u201carbitrary\u201d and was crafted in a different era when generals had a singular role as war fighters, whereas today\u2019s generals have more diverse roles…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

From <Washington Post<\/a>><\/font><\/p>\n

Both Lawrence O’Donnell<\/a> and Rachel Maddow<\/a> had segments about the appointment.<\/font><\/p>\n