Mattis blocked

He's pretty much shutting out his entire cabinet. His Lardship prefers dictatorial powers. Eventually it will just be him and his villain vizier, Stephen Miller.

Defense Secretary James Mattis learned in May from a colleague that President Donald Trump had made the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, and scrambled to get his boss on the phone before a formal announcement was made. It wouldn't be the last time he was caught off guard by a presidential announcement.

A month later, Mattis was informed that Trump had ordered a pause in U.S. military exercises with South Korea only after the president had already promised the concession to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Last week, Trump again blindsided and overruled his defense secretary by publicly directing the Pentagon to create a sixth military branch overseeing operations in space.

[...]

"They don't really see eye to eye," said a former senior White House official who has closely observed the relationship.

  NBC

Hey, it's his military to use and deploy as he wishes.

Trump didn't even mention Mattis during his announcement of the space force on June 18. Instead he singled out Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was present at the event, saying "if you would carry that assignment out, I would be very greatly honored."

[...]

In perhaps the most consequential national security initiative Trump has undertaken — direct talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un — Mattis appears to be on the sidelines. He's had little role before, during and after Trump's Singapore summit with Kim, despite the major U.S. military presence in South Korea, officials said.

A defense official said that ahead of the summit Trump and Mattis spoke about an array of topics that could come up, and canceling the joint military exercises with South Korea was not among them.Mattis was not expecting Trump's announcement on June 12 that the exercises would be cancelled, the official said, and as a result had not notified the two commands most directly involved: U.S. Forces Korea and the South Korean military.

In fact, Secretary Mattis found out from one of his assistant secretaries, Randy Schriver, early Tuesday morning after the summit had concluded, according to a former senior White House official.

[...]

It's a stark contrast to Trump's early enthusiasm for the retired four-star Marine general he proudly referred to as "Mad Dog."

He thought anyone with a nickname like that would be a ruthless insane killer. He's been disappointed. He'll just have to do it himself.

"[Mattis has] never been one of the go-tos in the gang that's very close to the president," a senior White House official said. "But the president has a lot of respect for him."

So much respect that he doesn't even give the man a heads up when he's going to move on his department.

Mattis had pushed back against Trump's likely decision to abandon the Iran deal for months, but after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster left the administration earlier this year, he stopped objecting so vocally, according to an official familiar with the meeting.

Not so much a Mad Dog as a Sad Sack. Mad Dog neutered. Live by the hierarchy, die by the hierarchy. 

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.