If you looked at the political news lately, you’ll notice a name has popped up over and over again, General James Mattis. Who is he? Why do some people love him so much? Why the heck do some call him “Mad Dog” Mattis?
To give a brief biography on him, General Mattis was born September 8, 1950, in Pullman, Washington. He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1972 and over the course of many years, General Mattis rose through the ranks with tours in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Before he retired in 2013, he was named commander of U.S. Central Command. That command made him responsible for places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, you know, easy street.
While he was in the Marine Corps, those under his command had nothing but praise for him. He used common sense approaches to help his Marines under his command. On top of that, he cared very little for political correctness. In the current world of people getting offended by everything, hearing a four-star general say things that most Marines wouldn’t say in front of civilians, was a nice change. His has earned nicknames such as Mad Dog and Warrior Monk, though knowing the Marine Corps, some may just call him “Our Lord and Savior”.
These are some of the things that he has said publicly:
“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”
“I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.”
“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”
“I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.”
As such, because of his candor and lack of caring, he is beloved by all Marines. Some say that he is better loved than Lt. Gen. Chesty Puller, which is a big deal since he was awarded five Navy Crosses.
The evidence is clear though the use of memes that rival Chuck Norris:
With being such a popular figure, many people, mainly Marines, want him to run for president. Everything from Facebook groups to Twitter accounts have been set up, calling, practically begging him, to enter the presidential race. His potential backers have received great news because some big Republican supporters have started a “Draft Gen. Mattis” movement. They see him as someone who can stop Trump and have someone that most people can get behind.
Even t-shirts are being sold with a slogan already made for his campaign.
The creator of the popular comic strip Terminal Lance, who usually stays out of politics, had comic of what would most certainly happen if he did ran.
However, with his recent visit to Washington D.C., Gen. Mattis stated, in terms of running for president, “No, I haven’t given any thought to it”.
While that certainly doesn’t help the “Draft Gen. Mattis” movement, it would be safe to assume that if he did a complete 180, he would have a people ready to work for his campaign and ready to spend every minute educating the American public who the Warrior Monk is.
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