A version of this piece was published in February 2005, and with the news that retired General James “Mad Dog” Mattis is being considered by President-elect Trump for a post in his administration it is advisable to reflect on the character of the man. I’ve cut it down from its original length.

In using the description ‘knuckle-dragging buffoon’ I am of course referring directly (but far from exclusively) to the loutish Lieutenant General James Mattis, a US Marine officer who has been grossly over-promoted from latrine orderly. Recently [February 4, 2005] he disgraced his country, his uniform and the Profession of Arms by boasting that he is a brutal thug. To remind you, what he said concerning his personal military ethos was : “Actually, it’s quite fun to fight them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people, I’ll be right up front with you. I like brawling . . . You go into Afghanistan, you’ve 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.” These were his public words. They make me wonder what this man (I use the word loosely) might really think about in the depths of his diseased and malevolent mind.