Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’ resignation marks the end of a storied career. It also signals the end of a powerful myth in Washington—that a team of national security advisers could form a so-called “axis of adults” that would persuade a president deeply hostile to the U.S.-led world order to embrace the importance of American global leadership.
Mattis was just one of the advisers official Washington hoped would rein in an impetuous and inexperienced president. He was joined by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and National Economic Council director Gary Cohn.
The four were in a way surprise picks for Donald Trump’s foreign policy team. None had advised his presidential campaign and none had much experience working in Washington. Mattis and McMaster had spent most of their careers in command positions rather than in the Pentagon, while Tillerson and Cohn had made their names and fortunes in business.
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