Report: Centcom chief ousted for differences with White House on Iran, Arab Spring

Special to WorldTribune.com
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama was believed to have dismissed a
key military commander amid plans to reconcile with Iran.
The U.S. magazine Foreign Policy said Central Command chief Gen. James
Mattis might have been forced out because of his warnings of Iran’s nuclear
weapons drive.

Gen. James Mattis.

In the magazine’s daily Situation Report, author Tom Ricks
said the decision for Mattis to retire in March rather than August 2013 could be a signal to the Teheran regime as Obama plans to accelerate negotiations.
“The message the Obama administration is sending, intentionally or not, is that it doesn’t like tough, smart, skeptical generals who speak candidly to their civilian superiors,” Ricks said.
Mattis was expected to complete his three-year tour of duty at least six
months ahead of schedule. Ricks said Centcom would be headed by a new commander by the time another confrontation with Teheran was expected.
Ricks said Mattis disagreed with several White House staffers over Iran,
including National Security Advisor Tom Donilon. The disputes were also said
to include the U.S. response to the so-called Arab Spring.
“The Obamites might not recognize it, but they now have dissed the two
Marine generals who are culture heroes in today’s corps: Mattis and Anthony
Zinni,” Ricks said. “The Marines have long memories.”
The U.S. news network Fox confirmed the reason for Mattis’ dismissal.
Fox said Mattis “was increasingly making the White House nervous while
butting heads with National Security Adviser Tom Donilon over Iran.”