Senate clears Mattis to be Pentagon boss

James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, breezed through a Senate committee vote Wednesday, paving the way for his full confirmation and quick swearing-in after Trump takes office.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved Mattis's nomination all but unanimously, with just one Democratic senator voting no.

Mattis is the first cabinet nominee to pass the committee stage of his nomination, and he could be fully confirmed as soon as Friday, Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer said.

Some Democratic senators had initially expressed reservations that Mattis's appointment runs counter to decades of Pentagon tradition -- and US legal custom.

US law prohibits officers from serving as defense secretary for seven years after leaving active duty -- but retired Marine general Mattis only hung up his uniform in 2013.

A cornerstone of US democracy is that civilians, not people in uniform, control the military, and the commander-in-chief is the president.

Mattis is known as a colorful commander and is famed for his pugnacious aphorisms. The media dubbed him "Mad Dog" for his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language Marines are famous for.

He has been quoted as saying, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet."

While Mattis looks sure to secure his position, Democratic lawmakers are putting up greater resistance to other Trump cabinet picks, including the proposed education secretary and the health and human services secretary nominee.

Mattis would replace Ashton Carter, a longtime Pentagon bureaucratic warrior who served as President Barack Obama's fourth defense secretary.