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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — Nearly all of President Trump’s top national security officials have been the target of his ire, whether it was privately dressing down his attorney general, publicly disagreeing with his top diplomat or musing about exiling his national security adviser to Afghanistan. But not Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Eight months into the job, Mr. Mattis has exhibited a political deftness that has eluded other members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet. None has managed to steer a path so different from the president’s without incurring his wrath and while deflecting attention over apparent or genuine splits. Where Mr. Trump threatened in a bombastic United Nations speech on Tuesday to “destroy” North Korea, Mr. Mattis emphasized that the issue should be resolved “through diplomatic means.” On Mr. Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military, Mr. Mattis has said little publicly but put the question on ice by announcing a monthslong study of it. And one day after his boss brandished the word “sovereignty” in that United Nations address, Mr. Mattis spoke repeatedly of the need for the United States to consult its partners. “Nations with allies thrive, and those without allies decline — it’s that simple,” Mr. Mattis told airmen assembled before him at a conference outside Washington on Wednesday. “We must be willing to do more than to listen to our allies. We must be willing to be persuaded by them.” He added, pointedly, “Not all the good ideas come from the nation with... Link to the full article to read more