I believed it, we published it. Official questions had been raised, but we stood by the story and her. Internal questions had been raised, but none a… - Bob Woodward

Mattis still saw Iran as the key destabilizing influence in the region. In private, he could be pretty hard-line, but he had mellowed. Push them back, screw with them, drive a wedge between them and the Russians, but no war. Russia had privately warned Mattis that if there was a war in the Baltics, Russia would not hesitate to use tactical nuclear weapons against NATO. Mattis, with agreement from Dunford, began saying that Russia was an existential threat to the United States. Mattis had formed a close relationship with Tillerson. They tried to have lunch most weeks. Mattis's house was near the State Department and several times Mattis told his staff, "I'll walk down and say hello to him." McMaster considered Mattis and Tillerson "the team of two" and found himself outside their orbit, which was exactly the way they wanted it.

Sometimes, the more you protect your force, the less secure you may be. Sometimes, the more force is used, the less effective it is.

I don't believe you on the 'Jimmy' story. No, I don't, and I'm going to prove it if it's the last thing I do.