Today, December 7, we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2,403 and wounded 1,178 Americans.  There were questions raised about our preparation and security, the lack of which allowed the attack.

Today we are at war with radical Islamists.  We have been at war with radical Islamists since 1979, when Iran seized our embassy and held Americans hostage while Carter did nothing.  Since 1979, we have suffered many attacks, such as the 1983 Marine barracks attack in Beirut, the 1983 attack on or embassy in Beirut, Mogadishu, the 1993 WTC attack, Khobar Towers, embassy attacks in Kenya and Zanzibar, the USS Cole, September 11, Ft. Hood, the Boston Marathon, and the numerous so-called "lone wolf" attacks by Muslim terrorists.

Donald Trump has promised to be more aggressive to fight and destroy the terrorists. He has appointed men who share his goal and attitude, such as Mike Pompeo to CIA, General Michael Flynn as national security adviser, and General James Mattis to secretary of defense.

General Mattis needs a congressional waiver to serve because of the rule prohibiting retired military to serve as secretary of defense within seven years of retirement.  General George C. Marshall obtained a congressional waiver to serve as secretary of defense under President Truman, a Democrat, at the start of the Korean War.

But some Democrats have announced they will oppose a waiver for General Mattis.

Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, said on December 6, 2016 that while General Mattis would make an excellent secretary of defense, Democrats may oppose the waiver to confirm him because there may be too many "military" types in the Trump administration.  Schiff said: "What may tip the balance for me is if the president-elect populates even more positions within the administration with even more military figures, I'm going to have a lot of heartburn about this."

"If he starts making these other nominations, it's going to place the Mattis waiver in real jeopardy, at least as far as Democrats are concerned[.]"

This is consistent with N.Y. senator Kirsten Gillibrand announcing that she will oppose the wavier because "[c]ivilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule[.]"

General Mattis is eminently qualified to serve as secretary of defense during our war with terrorists.  There is no rational basis to oppose his nomination.  There is no danger of the military taking over, as some Democrats profess to fear.  Trump is the president who sets the policy, and the secretary of defense reports to the President.

The Democrats are playing politics with one of the most important nominations during a time of war.  Democrats should remember December 7, Pearl Harbor, and set aside their petty politics for the best interest of our country.