sure he should have watched his words but he sounds like the kind of guy I want leading our troops:



General counseled over 'fun to shoot' talk

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Marine Corps general with battle awards is being counseled to watch his words more carefully after publicly observing that "it's fun to shoot some people."

Lt. Gen. James Mattis, a career infantry officer now in charge of developing ways to better train and equip Marines, also made fun of the manhood of Afghans during comments Tuesday while speaking at a forum in San Diego.

On Thursday, Gen. Mike Hagee, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, issued a statement of regret about Mattis' remarks, saying they reflected "the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."

According to an audio recording, Mattis had said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling."

He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

His comments evoked laughter and applause from the audience. Mattis was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a spokeswoman for the general said.

Gen. Hagee's statement said, "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."

"While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war," Hagee's statement added.

Among Marines, Mattis is regarded as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. Among his decorations are the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting.

He is currently the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., and deputy commandant for combat development.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was up to Mattis to address his own comments, but he added, "All of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership."

Pace spoke to a Pentagon press conference. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he had not read Mattis' words and deferred to Pace.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for the remarks.

"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."

Sadism is an indulgence...it is not their function. He should have kept his words to himself regardless. If he lacks the self control necessary to do this, he should be replaced.

I think many people would truly enjoy killing bin Laden or al-Zarqawi. I know I would.

Forgot where I heard it but, "Only God can judge bin Laden, it's US Marines' job to arrange the introduction."

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Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

"Among Marines, Mattis is regarded as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. Among his decorations are the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting."

He is a modern day Patton. Would you have replaced Patton Sad?

This guy was speaking before a mostly military audience... because there were some civilians in the group these statements are getting big coverage.

A few more guys like this and a few less pencil pushers in the Pentagon and the war on terror would nearly be over by now.

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I was banned from godlike productions(over 400 times)... and loved it.

"I haven't made you angry, have I?" -Malcolm Reynolds

...I am sick and tired of all the PC. After all, what he said is true: They do slap their women around....

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"Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet."

You have to take this in context and in the spirit in which it was intended. For heaven's sake, he's not the DC sniper, he's talking about shooting bad guys (the REALLY bad guys).

I'll take tactics over tact anytime.

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Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

We need these men. I back him 100%.

now let's see if our government will too...

Whew! Got over the "number of the beast" amount of posts. This should be number 668.

These terrorist SOB's are not men. Most of them won't even wear a military uniform, they treat women as slaves, and they kill innocent women and children on purpose.

Leaders like him build up great morale for our troops.

I am not interested in revenge. I am interested is solving the problem.

If he wants revenge, I dont have a problem with that. I only have a problem with him doing it while representing the US. Our enemies will use his words against us.