I AGREE!!!!! It makes me wanna say "F-U" to Mattis, when I've always liked him.
I will say though, I listened to a speech by Erik Prince from last year. He had given his plans for Afghanistan to POTUS and Mattis. POTUS liked the plans and was pushing for them. Mattis and pentagon pushed back on them and that's why they continued with the same damn strategy there last year. Gridlock at the pentagram…err..pentagon. Soooo, it's possible it's just Mattis keeping the cabal at the pentagon chill.