On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” columnist Charles Krauthammer reacted to the reported appointment of General James “Mad Dog” Mattis (Ret.) as Secretary of Defense by saying it’s “good to have a mad dog on your side,” and Mattis would “serve extremely usefully in the cabinet.”
Krauthammer said, [relevant remarks begin around 6:00] “It’s good to have a military man. It’s also good to have a military man who’s known as Mad Dog. Because, let’s say you’re trying to send a message to obstreperous Iranians, who have been harrassing our boats. I think you want to send a message that says something like, if you don’t stop within 48 hours, I may have to turn the matter over to Mad Dog, translated afterwards into Persian. I think that could be quite useful. Nixon used the crazy factor to great effect. The Russians were always afraid that they could push a button, and he would go over the top, as when he went to nuclear alert during the Arab-Israeli war of ’73. So, good to have a mad dog on your side, especially one with his strategic knowledge and range, and tactical/operational experience. That’s very rare and would serve extremely usefully in the cabinet.”
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