"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held. Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."
Things previously were on the rails, we are now learning. When we remember the years 2017 and 2018, we will do so wistfully. “Things were on the rails then,” we will say. “Remember Scaramucci? Remember how organized and unchaotic the Trump White House was?