John Kelly 's stirring but incomplete attempt to clean up for Donald Trump
John Kelly
(CNN) From the second that  White House chief of staff John Kelly  appeared in the White House press briefing room on Thursday afternoon   you could tell something big was about to happen.
After all  President Donald Trump's administration had been consumed over the last 24 hours with a " he  said/she said" fight over what the President said to Myeshia Johnson   the widow of one of the four American servicemen killed in an ISIS ambush in Niger. Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson -- in an account backed up by a family member -- said that Trump had told the widow of her husband that "he knew what he was getting into" -- a phrase that deeply upset her. Trump insisted the call was polite and respectful  and that Wilson wasn't telling the truth for partisan purposes.
 Enter Kelly . A four-star general. A man widely respected even by those who roll their eyes at Trump. And  most significantly for the sake of today  a father who had lost a son in military combat. ( Kelly's son  Robert  was killed in Afghanistan in 2010 .)
 Kelly  stepped to the podium and delivered a moving and raw recounting of how soldiers killed in action are transported from the field of battle to their homes. How they are honored by their peers. And how they are the best of us.
It was incredibly powerful stuff -- made even more so by the back story of  Kelly 's firsthand experience with  his  own son's death. This wasn't a politician saying the right words. This was a man who knows loss intimately. Who knows what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice.
No one who watched those first few minutes could help but be swayed by the power of  Kelly 's words and  his  experiences. It was stunning.
Then  however   Kelly  transitioned into an attempt to clean up Trump's mess.
 Kelly  recalled what  his  best friend Gen. Joseph Dunford  the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former commandant of the Marine Corps  had told  him  when  Kelly 's own son was killed: "He was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed "  Kelly  said Dunford told  him . "He knew what he was getting into by joining that 1%. He knew what the possibilities were because we were at war. And when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth  his friends. That's what the President tried to say to the four families the other day."
Which is fair. After all  no one would dispute  Kelly 's contention that calling the families of men and women who have been killed in combat is the hardest job the President has to do. And  again with a nod to Kelly  no one would dispute that there are simply no words that can truly bring comfort or closure to a family in pain.
Where  Kelly  veered off the track  to my mind  is when  he  sought to scold Wilson -- and the culture more broadly -- for turning the sacred service of a member of the military into a political football.
That sentiment is a powerful one. The problem is that in some of what  Kelly  said next   he  seemed to be totally unaware of a number of  his  boss's past statements and views.
 Kelly  was presumably referring with disdain to the myriad allegations against Harvey Weinstein  a prominent movie executive and major Democratic donor. But it's hard to square  Kelly 's call to venerate women with Trump's lewd comments made in an "Access Hollywood" tape. "Grab them by the pussy" isn't exactly treating women as sacred.
Or  Kelly 's plea that Gold Star families be off-limits from the political back-and-forth ...
(CNN) From the second that   [TGT] appeared in the White House press briefing room on Thursday afternoon   you could tell something big was about to happen.
After all  President Donald Trump's administration had been consumed over the last 24 hours with a " he  said/she said" fight over what the President said to Myeshia Johnson   the widow of one of the four American servicemen killed in an ISIS ambush in Niger. Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson -- in an account backed up by a family member -- said that Trump had told the widow of her husband that "he knew what he was getting into" -- a phrase that deeply upset her. Trump insisted the call was polite and respectful  and that Wilson wasn't telling the truth for partisan purposes.
 Enter  [TGT]  . A four-star general. A man widely respected even by those who roll their eyes at Trump. And  most significantly for the sake of today  a father who had lost a son in military combat. ( Kelly's son  Robert  was killed in Afghanistan in 2010 .)
  [TGT] stepped to the podium and delivered a moving and raw recounting of how soldiers killed in action are transported from the field of battle to their homes. How they are honored by their peers. And how they are the best of us.
It was incredibly powerful stuff -- made even more so by the back story of   [TGT]  's firsthand experience with  his  own son's death. This wasn't a politician saying the right words. This was a man who knows loss intimately. Who knows what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice.
No one who watched those first few minutes could help but be swayed by the power of  Kelly 's words and  his  experiences. It was stunning.
Then  however    [TGT] transitioned into an attempt to clean up Trump's mess.
  [TGT] recalled what   [TGT]   best friend Gen. Joseph Dunford  the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former commandant of the Marine Corps  had told  him  when  Kelly 's own son was killed: "He was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed "   [TGT] said Dunford told  him . "He knew what he was getting into by joining that 1%. He knew what the possibilities were because we were at war. And when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth  his friends. That's what the President tried to say to the four families the other day."
Which is fair. After all  no one would dispute   [TGT]  's contention that calling the families of men and women who have been killed in combat is the hardest job the President has to do. And  again with a nod to  [TGT] no one would dispute that there are simply no words that can truly bring comfort or closure to a family in pain.
Where   [TGT] veered off the track  to my mind  is when   [TGT]   sought to scold Wilson -- and the culture more broadly -- for turning the sacred service of a member of the military into a political football.
That sentiment is a powerful one. The problem is that in some of what   [TGT] said next    [TGT]   seemed to be totally unaware of a number of   [TGT]   boss's past statements and views.
  [TGT] was presumably referring with disdain to the myriad allegations against Harvey Weinstein  a prominent movie executive and major Democratic donor. But it's hard to square  Kelly 's call to venerate women with Trump's lewd comments made in an "Access Hollywood" tape. "Grab them by the pussy" isn't exactly treating women as sacred.
Or  Kelly 's plea that Gold Star families be off-limits from the political back-and-forth ...