James Mattis: Joe Biden Must Eliminate ‘America First’ from U.S. Foreign Policy

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis declared in an article in Foreign Affairs on Monday that the “America First” foreign policy had damaged national security, and called on Joe Biden to “eliminate ‘America first'” from U.S. strategy.

Mattis resigned in December 2018, citing policy disagreements with the president, who had just ordered a troop drawdown in Syria. In his resignation letter, Mattis said that the U.S. needed to do more to show “respect” to American allies.

In October 2018, then-Secretary Mattis gave a speech in which he said that “when we talk about America first, it’s not America alone.”

In his new article, however, Mattis says the opposite, calling for the “end of America First”:

The United States today is undermining the foundations of an international order manifestly advantageous to U.S. interests, reflecting a basic ignorance of the extent to which both robust alliances and international institutions provide vital strategic depth. In practice, “America first” has meant “America alone.” That has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose.

…

In January, when President Joe Biden and his national security team begin to reevaluate U.S. foreign policy, we hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate “America first” from its contents, restoring in its place the commitment to cooperative security that has served the United States so well for decades. The best strategy for ensuring safety and prosperity is to buttress American military strength with enhanced civilian tools and a restored network of solid alliances—both necessary to achieving defense in depth. The pandemic should serve as a reminder of what grief ensues when we wait for problems to come to us.

Mattis also says that while the greatest threat America faces today comes from China, the U.S. should seek greater peace, not confrontation. He calls for cooperation with China “in areas of overlapping interests, such as pandemic response, climate change, and nuclear security.”

In June, Mattis gave a statement to The Atlantic in which he called Trump a threat to the Constitution, comparing him to a Nazi and repeating false claims that Trump had used the military to clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square.

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/11/23/james-mattis-joe-biden-must-eliminate-america-first-from-u-s-foreign-policy/

The Butcher of Fallujah

https://mltoday.com/the-butcher-of-fallujah/

Ohio Gov. DeWine Vows to Veto Bill Stripping His 'Ultimate' COVID Powers

The Ohio General Assembly voted last week to strip Gov. Mike DeWine of the “ultimate authority” accorded to his health department to impose statewide pandemic orders. Senate Bill 311 was approved in the Ohio House on a party-line vote by a margin of 58-32.

The Ohio Senate approved the measure in September, 20-13, with four Republican senators crossing party lines to vote against the bill.

Under current law, the department of health has “ultimate authority in matters of quarantine and isolation, which it may declare, modify, and enforce.” Gov. DeWine, a Republican, has used the broad authority granted to the health department to issue dozens upon dozens of mandates, lockdowns, school and business closures, trampling the civil liberties of Ohioans, crippling businesses across the state, and keeping children out of their classrooms.

The legislature stripped the word “ultimate” from the code and further modified it to say that the department “shall not issue a general, mandatory statewide or regional quarantine or isolation order that applies to and is enforced against individuals who have not been either directly exposed to or medically diagnosed with the disease that is the subject of the order.”

Further, the health department will no longer be permitted to issue a standing order to prevent the spread of a contagion or infectious disease that “has the effect of being a general, mandatory statewide or regional quarantine or isolation order” that applies to individuals who have neither been directly exposed to or diagnosed with the infection in question.

The bill also gives the legislature power to rescind standing health orders by adopting a concurrent resolution.

Rep. Scott Wiggam, a Republican and cosponsor of the bill, announced on Facebook that checks and balances have been restored to state government. Senate Bill 311 “will allow the Ohio House and Senate oversight through public hearings into the Department of Health orders,” he wrote. “The General Assembly will be able to rescind the orders with a simple majority resolution.”

“For nearly nine months, we have seen one branch of government imposing government order after order after order on Ohioans with full force and effective criminal law and penalties but without consulting with the actual branch of government whose job it is to draft legislation and actual law,” Wiggam told The Dispatch. “This will allow the general assembly to have a say and representation of their constituents across Ohio when it comes to protecting their rights against government overreach.”

The bill now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature. DeWine has vowed to veto it. He told reporters last week that the bill would be “devastating,” making Ohio “slow to respond to a crisis… If by chance it would pass, I would veto the bill because I would have a moral obligation to do so.”

Republicans say they have a veto-proof majority in the House, however, they will need to secure an additional vote in order to thwart DeWine. Rep. John Becker, who has been an outspoken critic of the governor’s COVID-19 lockdown measures, along with Reps. Steve Hambley and Scott Lipps, have indicated that they will vote to override a DeWine veto.

If the legislature is indeed able to override the governor’s promised veto, the law would not take effect for 90 days, as lawmakers were unable to secure enough votes to include an emergency clause.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/paula-bolyard/2020/11/23/ohio-gov-dewine-vows-to-veto-bill-stripping-his-ultimate-covid-powers-n1168704