Harkening back to a bygone era, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Friday that he’ll be creating concerns for others in 2018 instead of having them create problems for himself.
Sounding very John Wayne-like, the retired Marine Corps general made the remark while speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
“I don’t have concerns. I create them,” Mattis said, when asked what his top concern for the year would be.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis talked to reporters at the Pentagon this afternoon. Asked his biggest military concern in 2018, he responded: “I don’t have concerns. I create them”
— Marcus Weisgerber (@MarcusReports) January 5, 2018
“Mad Dog” Mattis made a similar remark last year after being asked what keeps him up at night.
“Nothing,” he replied. “I keep other people awake at night.”
Naturally, Mattis’ braggadocio didn’t sit well with weak-kneed liberals who think the men and women who make up the U.S. military might somehow cower at such words.
That’s…uh…
That’s not the most comforting reply for a guy who manages the worlds largest military in the middle of a protracted low-intensity conflict and rising nuclear tensions.
— Name (@Amanda_Kerri) January 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/Amanda_Kerri/status/949384168651345922
Here’s a sampling of more pearl clutching from the Defense secretary’s detractors:
https://twitter.com/SeanMcElwee/status/949485919685545985
this is a mattis non-answer worthy of follow-up and not more celebratory meme-making. he may induce trances in some people but dude's just a man, another military official with a host of problems on his watch (and no good afghan plan). @Tmgneff @johnismay https://t.co/WZZoFLWme8
— C.J. Chivers (@cjchivers) January 5, 2018
Maybe it’s just me but I would prefer a more reasoned, intelligent response from the Secretary of the Defense.
— mrs panstreppon (@mrspanstreppon) January 5, 2018
agreed. But I'm not sure if that makes his answer better or worse. It's an overly simplified, news byte, question, but I'd almost prefer a curmudgeonly, Coach Popovich-esque answer to the flippant one.
— David Adstutia🇺🇲🌻🇺🇦 (@DavidAdstutia) January 5, 2018
As for the other side, things were summed up fairly well in a single tweet: “A warrior of few words.”
A warrior of few words. pic.twitter.com/tAxah2ZBg3
— T. D. Neliton (@WarriorforKids) January 5, 2018
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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