“Don’t give up the ship.” This phrase became famous when Captain James Lawrence uttered it while mortally wounded during the battle between his ship, the USS Chesapeake, and the British frigate HMS Shannon off the coast of Boston during the War of 1812.
Unfortunately for the captain, even though his phrase became legendary within the Navy, his ship was ultimately captured by the British — a fitting reminder that slogans don’t replace strategy or leadership.
Now, a group of Democrat lawmakers is trying to resurrect that same rallying cry in a glossy, minute-and-a-half political ad urging military troops and intelligence officials to defy orders they personally decide are “illegal.” They never mention Donald Trump by name, of course, but the implication is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. We all know exactly which commander-in-chief they’re encouraging the bureaucracy to resist.