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Gen. James 'Mad Dog' Mattis: US Influence ‘At Lowest In 40 Years'
[Daily Caller] Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis warned the next U.S. president against engaging in isolationism, explaining that maintaining a role in the chaotic Middle East is the only way to fight terrorism.

The Middle East is currently "experiencing the most turmoil since the end of the Ottoman Empire -- that’s the World War I time frame -- and it’s getting worse," said the 40-year Marine Corps veteran, while speaking at Washington State University Tuesday. "At the same time, U.S. influence in the region is at its lowest ebb in 40 years."

Mattis said that while military experience isn’t necessarily required for the presidency, it is crucial that whoever occupies the White House is able to resist America's "always present appetite for isolationism."

If anyone is familiar with the Middle East's problems, it is Mattis. The retired general spent 40 years in the Marines, much of that in the Middle East itself. Mattis' hardened, yet sober, view on the region would eventually earn him the top job at U.S. Central Command.
Posted by: Besoeker 2016-08-29
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=466102