MAD DOG IN THE PENTAGON?

Much more than the success of his presidency depends on Donald Trump being talked out of his bromance with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Trump may want to be friends. But Mr. Putin, a former KGB officer who dreams of reconstructing the Soviet Union, regards the United States as his main enemy.

Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-KS, is an excellent choice for CIA director. First in his class at West Point, Rep. Pompeo, 53, was law review at Harvard. He was CEO of an aerospace company and an oilfield services company before being elected to Congress in 2010, where he serves on the Intelligence Committee.

“He’s bright and hard-working,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Cal, who also serves on the Intelligence Committee. “While we’ve had our share of strong differences, I know he is someone who is willing to listen and engage, both key qualities in a CIA director.”

Mr. Trump’s selection of Rep. Pompeo is reassuring. But his choice of former Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, 59, to be his national security adviser is alarming.

Since being fired in 2014 as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, LTG Flynn has appeared often on RT (Russian Television), known informally among spooks as “KGB TV”.

LTG Flynn also has lobbied for the Islamist regime of Turkish President Recip Erdogan, who fancies himself as the caliph of a reconstructed Ottoman empire. He permits ISIS recruits and supplies to pass through Turkey, has set up a safe area within Turkey where ISIS fighters are protected from Allied air strikes.

He was fired because President Obama was upset by his outspokenness about ISIS, LTG Flynn says. But many in the intel community say he got canned because his micro-management was killing morale at DIA.

The national security adviser’s job is to coordinate the activities of State, Defense, and the intelligence community. Many doubt LTG Flynn is up to that task.

I’m amused by gossip breathlessly reported as news about who is being considered for key posts. As Lao Tzu said: “Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.” We’ll find out when Mr. Trump makes an offer, and it is accepted. But there is one prospective nominee who, if he’s asked and accepts, would assuage most of my concerns about national security policy in the Trump administration.

The president-elect met last Sunday (11/20) with retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who is being considered for secretary of defense.

“He is the real deal,” Mr. Trump said afterward. “He’s just a brilliant, wonderful man. What a career…A true general’s general.”

Affectionately known as “Mad Dog” by his troops, Marines think Gen. Mattis is the greatest Marine general ever. No other has possessed to the same degree his intelligence, knowledge of military and world history, courage, inspirational leadership, tactical skill and strategic vision.

And no other has been as willing to speak his mind. Here are some things “Mad Dog” has said that make us love him so:

To troops he commanded:

“The most important six inches in the battlefield is between your ears…Engage your brain before you engage your weapon…Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”

To Iraqi leaders:

“I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you with tears in my eyes: If you (fornicate) with me, I’ll kill you all…I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about we do here for 10,000 years.”

President Obama didn’t heed this advice. America will be well served if President Trump does:

“No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but the enemy gets a vote…There are some (rectal orifices) who just need to be killed…A real understanding of history means we face NOTHING new under the sun.”

Jack Kelly is a former Marine and Green Beret, and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force during the Reagan Administration.  He is the national security writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.