Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis tore into his former boss over his handling of foreign policy in his new book released Tuesday.
Mattis blasted former President Barack Obama for his “failure” regarding foreign policy in his new book “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead,” saying that the time he spent overseeing Central Command (CENTCOM) under the former president ended with him seeing “strategic frustration.”
“It was to be a time when I would witness duty and deceit, courage and cowardice, and, ultimately, strategic frustration,” wrote the former defense secretary.
He also wrote that Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden refused to listen to his advisers — including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — when it came to potentially withdrawing troops from Iraq in 2011, saying that they were “ignoring reality” in the Middle Eastern state and that the removal of the troops allowed for the rise of ISIS.
“Central Command, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the new defense secretary, Leon Panetta, who had replaced Bob Gates, continued to recommend to the White House retaining a residual force, as did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,” wrote Mattis, adding that they were “talking to the wind.” – READ MORE