Nou, we zijn hem kwijt.

De door het gehele defensieapparaat geadoreerde warrior scholar James Mattis, ook wel de Patron Saint of Chaos. Hij bood gisteravond zijn ontslag aan, na een laatste poging Trump over te halen in Syrië te blijven. "Officials said Mr. Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter already written, but nonetheless made a last attempt at persuading the president to reverse his decision about Syria. (...) Mr. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general, was rebuffed. Returning to the Pentagon, he asked aides to print out 50 copies of his resignation letter and distribute them around the building." In de brief valt te lezen dat "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. (...) Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position." Ja, invoelbaar allemaal. Aan de andere kant, plaatje hieronder is ook weer zo.