This is PERFECT! Anyone who hates Trump (all lefties and Traitors) is going to naturally gravitate toward and want to defend anyone they think has been wronged by Trump, or "stood up to" bad orange man, or "wanted to do the RIGHT thing" and got stomped on by the nazi dictator, so they will defend Mattis, turn him into a saint who can do no wrong, firmly establish that Mattis is good and Trump is bad, and there is no moral comparison between the two. Mattis good. Trump bad. Then Mattis tries and executes all their heroes. After they've established in endless word and digital print that Mattis =/= Trump and while Trump's decisions are BAD, Mattis is wise and both correct and wise in his judgment. Spoon-feeding the normies the diet they need for the plan to smoothly (less/non-violently) succeed.
You're buying into this act? You think Mattis isn't fully aware of and part of The Plan? You think this isn't just another part of the "pattern" we keep seeing? Get the left to think there's a divide between Sessions and Trump and they love and defend Sessions all of a sudden. Get them to do the same re: Mattis. When the time comes that Sessions and Mattis (or the fruits of their prior labors) CRUSHES THEM, they will all be already on the record as to how great and principled these men are, not AT ALL like Trump or aligned with HIM!