John Kelly Doesn’t Owe Us Anything

The maelstrom surrounding President Trump’s alleged comments about troops has been brought to bear on a man who spent most of his life as one

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, left, and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attend a ceremony at the Aisne — Marne American Cemetery near the Belleau Wood battleground, in Belleau, France on Nov. 10, 2018. (DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro}

The current maelstrom surrounding President Trump and his alleged comments about troops, cemetery visits, and various related things has been brought to bear on a man who spent most of his life as one of those troops, before joining and then being jettisoned by the current administration.

“It’s Time for the Former General John Kelly to Speak Out About Trump’s Views on the Military” John Cassidy titled his piece in The New Yorker.

“General John Kelly Knows What Trump Said About Veterans — This Is Why Is He Can’t Remain Silent” declared Seth Cohen in Forbes.

Writing in the Washington Post, Ruth Marcus took the following approach:

So what should we make of Kelly’s silence? Ingrained habits of stoicism and convictions about duties of confidentiality and loyalty to a commander in chief, even this one, seem to be at work here. This is perplexing, to say the least. There are persuasive arguments on the other side about countervailing duties, including to warn the country about the man seeking a second term. But heroes are scarce among those who chose to…