Originally Posted by
MAINJAFAD
Lonewolf, Thanks for the correction, however there must be something in written law about this 7 year limit and why it exists. Yes congress can waive the limit, but they haven't in almost 70 years and when they did so the person they gave the waiver to was ideally qualified to do what was required (because he had already been involved in building up an armed services from next to nothing peace time force to a War time one).
What makes you think that this man is not uniquely qualified? He is very much up to scratch on what is or isn't required for the military of this day and age. We've had a variety of DoD leaders who were barely qualified (Cohen comes to mind) but nominated anyway and not having to deal with a waiver (having never served).
Also: what's your beef here? Your location is Herfordshire so I'll assume you are a Brit. What's your skin in this game? Having someone competent in our DoD would make working with your MoD a better proposition, in terms of our special relationship. More to the point, someone with some common sense is a needed voice of reason in the ear of the President. (General Mattis has the reputation of ample supplies of common sense).
Here, from the British ragaka Daily Mail:
Mattis told Trump when asked about waterboarding, 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture.'
The British Defence Secretary said: 'I congratulate General James Mattis on his nomination and wish him well with the confirmation process. 'He has a deep understanding of our shared military culture as well as experience of serving alongside British forces. The US is and will remain our closest partner on security and defense. 'I look forward to continuing our close cooperation to fight terrorism, deter aggression, and collaborate on innovative technologies to ensure the security of our nations.'
@Al R: For context, I'd recommend that you take a look at the number of commanders (corps and division commanders) relieved during the war by General Patton, who was himself relieved of 7th Army command by Ike.