Yup.

Stories matter.

And Josh Marshall is right; Kelly's speech could have come out of the movie version of "Starship Troopers," where the only citizens are those with military service.

Underneath this logic is a belief which Kelly actually stated much more clearly than most are willing to do. We don’t just owe respect to people who serve in the military. They are actually better than us civilians.

Kelly’s words …

"We don’t look down upon those of you who that haven’t served. In fact, in a way we’re a little bit sorry because you’ll have never have experienced the wonderful joy you get in your heart when you do the kinds of things our service men and women do — not for any other reason than they love this country. So just think of that."

Kelly made a similar point when he refused to take questions from any reporter who was not either from a Gold Star family themselves or personally knew someone who was. You may not even deserve your civic freedoms, the right to talk, to ask question, unless you are near to military sacrifice.

Beyond the appalling defense of the indefensible is Kelly's premise:  that the military are superior to civilians, and the POTUS is uber alles.  Let's be clear:  Kelly didn't have to defend Trump:  he chose to defend Trump.  He didn't have to make the argument he made in order to defend Trump; he chose to make that argument.  This is not Gen. Kelly being "poisoned" by association with Trump:  this is simply who Gen. Kelly is.  Maybe we imagined him to be something else:  we were wrong.  There is a reason he works for Donald Trump, and that reason is that he thinks like Donald Trump.