For many conservatives in this country, one of the most attractive aspects of the Trump presidency was the foreign policy that finally put this country first.
When a country is swimming in debt and getting clobbered in trade agreements, it is nice to have a president capable of stepping up to realize that at some point, you need to dial it back and get your own country back on track.
America First was in the process of doing that, but Trump’s former Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, is urging Joe Biden to dial all that back… and Trump is NOT happy.
Mattis’ Comments
I have all the respect in the world for James Mattis the General.
Sadly, though, as Secretary of Defense and as a member of the Trump administration, the same cannot be said.
Mattis was clearly a bad pick by Trump, as the two never seemed to be on the same page from the outset.
That was made quite clear in a recent article penned by Mattis, where he openly makes the plea to end the “America First” program.
Mattis wrote, “The United States today is undermining the foundations of an international order manifestly advantageous to U.S. interests, reflecting a basic ignorance of the extent to which both robust alliances and international institutions provide vital strategic depth. In practice, ‘America first’ has meant ‘America alone.’ That has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose.”
The article continued, “In January, when President Joe Biden and his national security team begin to reevaluate U.S. foreign policy, we hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate ‘America first’ from its contents, restoring in its place the commitment to cooperative security that has served the United States so well for decades. The best strategy for ensuring safety and prosperity is to buttress American military strength with enhanced civilian tools and a restored network of solid alliances—both necessary to achieving defense in depth. The pandemic should serve as a reminder of what grief ensues when we wait for problems to come to us.”
So, here we have one of this generation’s greatest generals openly asking the incoming president to once again put our own country on the backburner to become the doormat of the world again.
Trump Responds
After the article went live and was touted by news outlets, Trump immediately responded via Twitter…
That says it all about Mattis. Obama fired him. I should have fired him sooner. Did best work after he was gone. World’s most overrated general! https://t.co/2i4jPWAAPA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2020
Sadly, Joe Biden is already following that advice and plans on re-entering agreements that have hurt this country economically for years.
Of all the things that worry me the most, however, nothing stands out like the Iran nuclear deal and the sanctions Trump has imposed on the country.
There is a reason that ISIS has been so quiet as of late, and much of it has to do with the sanctions that are strangling the country’s economy.
I don’t want to undermine the efforts made by our military on this front, because they have been exceptional, but that is only one piece to the war on terrorism.
The second part of that puzzle is blocking the money that pays for their recruiting and supply chain, which is what these sanctions have done.
Mark my words… if Joe Biden re-enters the Iran nuclear deal and lifts sanctions against Iran, the money will start flowing to terrorist organizations again.
It may take years for them to rebuild, but they will rebuild, and they will strike again… of that, I have no doubt.
Source: Breitbart
