No defense for Trump

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper committed an unforgivable sin: He put a power-crazed president in his place. Stand and applaud, or better yet, salute. And hope it doesn’t cost him his job.

Wednesday came Esper’s timely salvo against the salivating commander in chief’s very dangerous and divisive threat to send military troops into America’s roiling cities to quell unrest, even if mayors and governors don’t want the help: “The option to use activeduty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations,” he rightly said. “We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act.” Esper also distanced himself from Monday’s disgusting tear-gassing of peaceful protesters outside the White House.

As a president who brooks no dissent surely steamed, his press secretary proclaimed: “as of right now Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper.” As for tomorrow, who knows; Wednesday, the Pentagon abruptly reversed plans to send active-duty troops home from the District of Columbia, where the feds have special latitude.

Trump’s first secretary of defense, Jim Mattis resigned in 2018. Yesterday, Mattis spoke up again, saying “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try.”

Now his successor is forced to walk on eggshells for daring to be right. Who in his right mind would want to work for Donald Trump?