Duffy: Those who execute military orders carry all the risk

The dispute between Sen. Mark Kelly and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is being told as a simple morality play. On one side, the claim that Kelly crossed a line and deserves punishment. On the other, the insistence that Kelly is a hero beyond reproach and that the administration’s response is villainy. Both frames are comforting. Both are wrong.

What matters most here is not who appeared righteous or reckless in the moment, but what happens when legality is left unresolved. In this case...