SPEAKING OUT – AT 10:34 A.M. ET:  We've occasionally advocated here for retired military officers to speak out more loudly about the security failures of this administration.  Now one has.  From The Washington Times: 

Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis said the U.S. is suffering “strategic atrophy” that will threaten the long-term security of the nation.

The retired general and former Central Command (CENTCOM) commander made the remarks while speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

“The perception [among allies] is we’re pulling back,” Gen. Mattis said, the U.S. Naval Institute reported Thursday.

The conversation with Gen. Mattis covered a variety of topics, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire “to break NATO apart,” to China, which “is doing a pretty good job of finding friction points between our allies,” USNI reported.

Gen. Mattis praised the United Arab Emirates and Jordan for aiding the U.S. coalition in its fight against the Islamic State group. He added that he has “no doubt” that any foreign policy missteps can be rectified with the right leadership.

COMMENT:  Devastating.  We know what he means by "the right leadership."   He means a change in presidents.  We get that chance a year from November.  But it's such a long time.

May 16,  2015