The op-ed is an exercise in ass covering. Nothing more.

[RockRaven]

4. On top of that, it is profoundly dangerous. And therefore very, very selfish.

Not only does it advertise the precedent of executive branch officials doing whatever the hell they feel like instead of following the direction of the President (how would we have liked it if Bob Gates had ignored Obama and did whatever he felt like? How would we like it during the next Dem admin if the phenomenon spread throughout the ranks of political appointees and civil servants?), but it pokes a very, very unstable bear. Trump is under siege, being "attacked" from all sides -- sexual harassment and assault lawsuits proceeding, NY AG digging into Trump Foundation financials, SDNY digging into Trump Org and campaign financials, Mueller up to his elbows in the guts of Trump-Russia and campaign illegalities, a blue wave which almost certainly will flip the House by a wide margin making impeachment likely, international *allies* refusing to go along with him if not opposing him outright... And this person thinks that it is okay to risk goading him into truly globally catastrophic behavior (for example, a war w/ Iran) in order to improve their chances of still having a career in politics in the next Repuke administration. Truly sociopathically selfish.