Gen Mattis will be the next SecDef. Why is everyone so excited?

So Trump picked Mattis to be the next SecDef.  Everyone is excited, the meme machines are working overtime and people are basically fapping themselves to death over the thought that he's the new boss.

Why?

Why is everyone so excited?

Seriously step back and think about it.  What do you know about his views on things?  What are his views on the fight in Iraq/Syria?  How about his stance toward China?  How does he feel about the F-35, the Marine Corps SPMAGTF, Expeditionary Rifle Squads, the LCS, the US Army going heavy, SOCOM being worked to death, too damn many Generals for one of the smallest forces in history and so on.

What experience does he have in managing the beast that is the Pentagon?  Will he be able to reign in all the fraud, waste and abuse?

People are nutting all over themselves in joy because he made some typically Marine Corps type statements to the press and he wears stars.  He commanded the Marine Corps assault into Iraq to much acclaim.

But is he the right man that we need to bring order and sanity back to the Pentagon?

I grant you this.  If Trump believes that the Pentagon is horribly demoralized and is need of revitalization more than reform then he picked well.

Mattis could motivate someone to run thru a wall.

If we need true reform...the kind of reform that is painful and requires destroying fiefdoms that dot the Pentagon landscape then I'm not so sure.  Oh and mind you this is without any discussion of some of the more "controversial" issues that have popped up out of nowhere from supposedly military friendly websites/publications etc (yeah I'm talking women in combat, transgenders in uniform ... we have no idea where Mattis stands on those issues).

So cheer this decision if you must but understand that there is really no such thing as a "retired" General/Admiral....which means that if he did oppose some of the decisions made he chose to remain silent.

Courage under fire is easy.  Moral courage is hard.

I don't want to pour water on your enthusiasm for this appointment but the reality is that General Mattis is a known unknown.  We just don't know with this guy.  Amazingly he's talked alot but said very little.

Oh and how excited are people?  Check out the little ditty below from MARSOC!