High School Reporter’s Unexpected Interview With Secretary Of Defense James Mattis
[guest post by Dana]
No matter how one feels about Donald Trump being elected president, I think it’s safe to say that most Americans are pleased with his selection of James Mattis for Secretary of Defense.
With that, back in May when the Washington Post published a photo with James Mattis’s phone number on it, a motivated reporter called the number, and then texted Mattis to request an interview. To the young high school reporter’s surprise, Mattis said yes. Teddy Fisher is a reporter for the Mercer Island High School Islander newspaper. The interview took place on Memorial Day, but did not appear in the school paper until late June. Here are a few excerpts from the excellent, content-rich and informative interview. Subjects covered, and providing much to chew over, include foreign policy, national policy, political ideologies, the Middle East, Iran, and advice for high schoolers. But if you think the interview is geared for high schoolers, think again: “I speak the same to high schoolers, college grads, or congressmen,” [Mattis] said. “I’ve found high schoolers to be plenty bright.”
TEDDY: You said as a nominee for secretary of defense that the military had to be more lethal, but how does diplomacy play a role in your position when dealing with foreign powers?
The reason I say that is, as much as I’d like to live in a world where people who are out to do others harm would be willing to listen to rational thought, not everyone is.
MATTIS: The way that you get your diplomats listened to in an imperfect world is you make certain you back them up with hard power. The reason I say that is, as much as I’d like to live in a world where people who are out to do others harm would be willing to listen to rational thought, not everyone is.So what you have to do is make certain that your foreign policy is led by the diplomats, not by the military. I meet for breakfast once a week with Secretary of State Tillerson and I’ll advise him on the military factors for his foreign policy, but I do not believe that military issues should lead in foreign policy. I think that’s where diplomats lead and the military then reinforces the diplomats.
[…]
TEDDY: How will the U.S. help rebuild Arab countries after ISIS is inevitably defeated? How can the U.S. avoid creating power vacuums?
The point I would make there is that, you don’t have to have the Americans do it all.
MATTIS: Well the first thing, I think is your thesis Teddy. Secretary Tillerson ran a conference here about seven weeks ago on Washington D.C. and it was the Defeat ISIS Coalition, so of course I spoke at it because I coordinate the military aspects. It was 65 countries, it was Interpol, the international police organization that tracks the foreign fighters for all the world’s police departments. It was the European Union, the Arab league, and also now NATO as of last week, has joined the Defeat ISIS Coalition. The point I would make there is that, you don’t have to have the Americans do it all. There are many nations that said, if you will lead, we will contribute. For example, we had contributions, donations, committed to heavily by the Sunni Arab nations to the tune of several billion dollars.I think what you want to do is, the Americans can lead it in terms of organization because many nations don’t trust each other as much as they trust America, no matter what you read in the newspapers right now. We spent 85 percent of the Defeat ISIS meeting not talking about the military aspects, but talking about what you’re asking about, which is how do we stop this from just sprouting a new group. And that’s going to be an international effort and we likened it, if you’ve read about the Marshall plan after World War II when the Americans, three years after we defeated the fascists in Germany, the Nazis in Germany the fascists in Japan, we turn around three years later, 36 months later, and offered to help them rebuild.
And look at us today, where Germany and Japan are two of our strongest allies in the United Nations, in NATO, in the Pacific. I think what you want to do is look at the Marshall Plan, but instead of the American’s carrying the full burden or even the heaviest burden, look at all the nations in the world since many nations have become wealthy since World War II, and see it as being an international effort.
[…]
TEDDY: Is Iran the most dangerous country in the Middle East?
Iran is certainly the most destabilizing influence in the Middle East.
MATTIS: It’s certainly the country that is the only reason Assad has been able to stay in power. For example, for so long when Russia vetoed the United Nations so they couldn’t do anything about it, the only reason that Assad is still in power and has killed hundreds of thousands of his own people and allowed the terrorists a place to set up camp and millions, literally millions of people, forced out of their homes with nothing but what they could cram into a car or put on their back, it’s all because of Iran.Iran is certainly the most destabilizing influence in the Middle East and when I would travel to Cairo or Tel Aviv or Riyadh and from Arabs from Jews, all the people in the region, that is their view of Iran. It certainly was my biggest problem when I was the commander of U.S. Central Command. But again, it’s not Iran, it’s the Iranian regime. Most of the Iranian people, I’ve known enough Iranian people or talked to Americans who grew up in Iran and it’s not them, it’s the regime.
(Q: Did any “professional” journalists think to contact Mattis directly and request an interview?)
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana
This:
Dana (023079) — 7/10/2017 @ 1:21 pm1 – is that another excerpt? If so, I agree wholeheartedly to the point that my reading for the last three decades has been 90% non-fiction, and most of that history.
harkin (7833f6) — 7/10/2017 @ 1:30 pmYes, it is another excerpt.
Dana (023079) — 7/10/2017 @ 1:33 pmGreetings:
So does Secretary Mattis now forego the “I didn’t bring my artillery” bit for everyone or just the high schoolers ???
11B40 (6abb5c) — 7/10/2017 @ 1:33 pmTo the young high school reporter’s surprise…
Good get. And too cool for school.
‘School’s out for the summer’ – Alice Cooper, ‘School’s Out’ 1972
DCSCA (797bc0) — 7/10/2017 @ 1:37 pmGood find, Dana. That’s a great interview by a thoughtful kid. Is there any better advice than this?
That’s why Mattis is the most admired military leader alive by all who know him.
crazy (11d38b) — 7/10/2017 @ 1:51 pmTeddy Fisher, putting our MSM to shame. A great interview between two great Americans.
Lenny (5ea732) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:19 pmIt’s Mr. General Mattis speaking, but in his voice I hear the measured wisdom of President Trump.
They make a fantastic team.
happyfeet (28a91b) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:34 pmI think maybe something is wrong with the transcript.
It looks like the interviewer first trioes answering his own question. Is that really an excerpt from the answer that Mattis gave?
And we have this:
http://mihsislander.org/2017/06/full-transcript-james-mattis-interview/
The Winston Churchill quote is repeated twice, first as coming from
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:34 pmTeddy Fisher and then from Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
The first sentences of the “replies” all seem to be extracted from Mattis’s answer.
Sammy Finkelman (02a146) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:36 pmPerfect example of the karma of alternate facts. Slavish supporters of Dystrumpya like the Federalist will find their ‘thoughtful’ analyses dismissed out of hand without a backward glance.
http://thefederalist.com/2017/07/10/obamacares-basket-insurance-mandates-first-thing-go/
Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:50 pmSammy Finkleman,
My apologies – I forgot to include the link to the full interview. It’s there now at “Excerpts”.
Dana (023079) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:51 pmOnce lost, credibility may be irretrievable.
Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:52 pmSo sorry dana..wrong thread.
Ben burn (b3d5ab) — 7/10/2017 @ 2:53 pmThanks for clarifying, Ben burn. I was a bit taken aback.
Dana (023079) — 7/10/2017 @ 3:09 pmAlways remember that the Lord helps those who help themselves. All this Pollyanna nonsense about ‘helping others’ is pure ‘virtue signalling’ and completely at odds with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.
Since the end of WW-2 we’ve been ‘helping others’ to the point our nation is now barely capable of helping our own citizens retain their Constitutional rights in the face of successive administrations putting the interests of foreginers and illegal aliens first.
Let’s resolve to make our own nation prosperous, law abibing, peaceful, free, and healthy before we squander our hard won birthrights trying to ‘help others’ who would best be served by helping themselves.
ropelight (706dd9) — 7/10/2017 @ 3:10 pm“Teddy Fisher, putting our MSM to shame. A great interview between two great Americans.”
My gosh when a high school kid can add more relevant material on the new administration in one interview than a conservative blogger can in multiple “what if??” posts, you really can see the disconnection.
harkin (7833f6) — 7/10/2017 @ 3:15 pm“Always remember that the Lord helps those who help themselves. All this Pollyanna nonsense about ‘helping others’ is pure ‘virtue signalling’ and completely at odds with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.”
Disagree inasmuch as some of America’s best foreign policies have been helping other nations help themselves.
It’s when there are no conditions or democratic return on capital investment that we get took and there has been more than enough examples of that, especially with the previous administration.
harkin (7833f6) — 7/10/2017 @ 3:20 pmIt is obvious Teddy’s father was significantly involved in the formation of the great questions. still, an amazing accomplishment by the young lad.
I never understood why Mattis was so freakin’ deferential to HRC and I do not get it now. He rips the stew out of BHO’s foreign policy and he gives the SecState a free pass. It is very, very, difficult to trust Mattis.
He is entirely correct as to living an other-centered life. Too bad his boss is a walking antithesis.
Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 7/10/2017 @ 3:37 pm“My gosh when a high school kid can add more relevant material on the new administration in one interview than a conservative blogger can in multiple “what if??” posts, you really can see the disconnection.”
– harkin
That comment says way more about your confirmation bias than it says about Patterico’s outlook.
Leviticus (efada1) — 7/10/2017 @ 3:39 pm“That comment says standards still apply regardless of what people say…..”
Fyp
harkin (7833f6) — 7/10/2017 @ 4:11 pmBtw – accusing anyone of confirmation bias who isn’t spouting the Trump/Russia collusion extravaganza is truly spectacular.
harkin (7833f6) — 7/10/2017 @ 4:23 pmeveryone should stop doing confirmation bias
happyfeet (28a91b) — 7/10/2017 @ 5:24 pmMeanwhile, amongst less accomplished Alabamians, I have indeed seen it all: Luther Strange put out a pop up web ad accusing Mo Brooks of starting out as Never Trump.
urbanleftbehind (847a06) — 7/10/2017 @ 5:26 pmgood job on taking the confirmation bias down a notch you guys
it’s been hours since Mr. harkin’s slip up there
way to focus and execute
happyfeet (28a91b) — 7/10/2017 @ 5:42 pmoh dear
just when you think our commie slut-pope can’t be more useless
happyfeet (28a91b) — 7/10/2017 @ 5:58 pmGreat post, Dana.
nk (dbc370) — 7/10/2017 @ 6:12 pm