When a Performer Accidentally Tells the Truth
Media personality and sports analyst Stephen A. Smith usually sounds like a man who argues with his own echo: He bellows, repeats himself, adds a fresh coat of drama, then goes back for another layer, just in case nobody heard him the first six times.
Even so, every once in a while, the volume lines up with reality.
That rare alignment happened when he went after Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly for appearing in a video that urged American service members to "refuse illegal orders" from President Donald Trump. In a segment on his SiriusXM show, Smith unloaded on Kelly for telling troops, on camera, to second-guess the commander-in-chief, repeatedly hammering home one phrase: "How dare you do that?"
You can roll your eyes at Smith's delivery, his ego, and his love affair with his own voice — I certainly do. I don't have to like him to admit something important: He understood a line that many elected officials have deliberately blurred. You (especially elected officials on camera) tell enlisted men and women to treat the president's orders like a customer service suggestion. There's no way in hell to turn the chain of command into a campaign prop.
What Kelly and His Friends Actually Said
The video in question originated from Sen. Elissa Slotkin's X account, and Kelly joined five other democrats with military or intelligence backgrounds. The six yahoos told service members that threats to the Constitution now come from inside the country and reminded viewers that they "can refuse illegal orders" and "must refuse illegal orders."
It sounds like a simple restatement of long-standing military ethics — on paper. In real life, context matters: The country just watched President Trump order military action against suspected drug traffickers in Latin American waters after designating them as terrorists.
Kelly and his colleagues clearly meant Trump's orders, not some hypothetical rogue general fifty years from now.
Instead of a sober reminder in a training room or legal briefing, voters got a slick political video that looked like a cable drama trailer about "the resistance." The lawmakers might claim they only wanted to educate troops about the law and conscience, but the timing, platform, and tone tell a different story altogether.
Smith’s “How Dare You” and Greta’s
The phrase "How dare you" belongs in modern politics to the Swedish Sensation, Greta Thunberg. She hurled it at world leaders during her famous political climate speech at the United Nations, accusing them of stealing her dreams and childhood with "empty words."
Unfortunately for her, the results weren't exactly what she was hoping for. The line became a meme, a rallying cry, and an eye roll, depending on your tolerance for scolding speeches from global stages.
Although paraphrased, Smith's version sounded less like a trembling teenager and more like an agitated uncle at the family barbecue who had finally had enough of one guest setting off fireworks near the gas can.
There wasn't any nuance in his rant; he didn't walk through statutes or case law. He simply shouted the obvious point many adults in that world should already know: You never look into a camera and tell troops to ignore the commander in chief.
Greta, the Green Prophet, used moral panic to shame global leaders for not wrecking their own economies fast enough. Smith used moral panic to shame a senator for playing games with military obedience. Only one of those "How dare you" moments landed in a zone where the country's basic operating system lives.
On the scoreboard of accidental clarity, the ESPN loudmouth actually earned this win.
Illegal Orders Are Real, but So Are Channels
Anyone who has worn a military uniform understands that unlawful orders can exist. The Uniform Code of Military Justice and training at every level teach service members that they may not follow criminal commands. Ugly examples from history include Nuremberg and My Lai.
Despite those standards, that reality doesn't give politicians a free pass to turn that principle into campaign theater. The country already has courts, inspectors general, JAG channels, Congressional oversight, and impeachment.
Smith even spelled some of that out, pointing out that if Kelly believed Trump had given or might give illegal orders, he could've gone through Congress and tried to impeach him.
Again.
Instead, Kelly decided to instruct the troops by video.
When elected officials encourage troops to treat the president like a potential criminal by default, they risk something neither side truly wants: a military that looks up at politicians and sees rival factions rather than a unified civilian authority. That road doesn't end well in any republic.
The Fallout Proved How Serious It Was
The reaction from institutions shows that even inside the permanent government, people understood how serious that video looked. Reports say the Pentagon threatened to recall Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, back to active duty to prosecute him for alleged sedition under military law.
Legal experts already question whether that kind of move would survive constitutional scrutiny, yet the threat itself shows how far things have gone.
At the same time, the FBI asked to interview the six Democrats featured in the clip, an unusual step for federal law enforcement when dealing with sitting lawmakers. Those lawmakers claim they're being politically intimidated, and given Washington's history, they may have a point. Federal power can be abused, and that risk deserves serious concern.
Schrödinger's cat proves that two things can be true at the same time: The administration can overreact in heavy-handed ways, and those lawmakers can still have done something reckless and stupid by treating young service members as props in a preemptive fight with Trump.
It was the second truth Smith focused on, even if he left the first one under the table.
A Broken Clock
Smith remains a showman, rubbing many of us the wrong way, and still treats his own voice like a national resource. Yet, on this episode, on this topic, he did something rare among media voices on the left: He spoke up for the chain of command, respect for the office of the presidency under Trump, and basic military discipline.
Smith pushed back on Trump's harsh talk about death penalties and treason. Yet he never let Kelly off the hook, providing a balance, making his rant most unsettling for Democrats who prefer their media allies to be fully tame. A man they thought safely in their column scolded them louder than many Republicans did, a shock that probably did more damage than anything conservative talk radio could manage.
There lingers the Greta comparison. Global institutions spent years elevating a teenager to near-saint status for emotional speeches on climate policy. Then, a sports pundit, yelling from behind a microphone, used the same tone to defend a constitutional role Trump currently holds.
Both came wrapped in outrage. Only one defended an actual structure that keeps the country from tearing itself apart.
Related: From Wisconsin Woods to Belgian Doorsteps and a Foxhole Near Jack
Final Thoughts
When senators treat enlisted service members like extras in an attack ad, it leaves the country in dangerous territory. The republic depends on a military that follows lawful orders from the elected commander in chief, not guidance from short videos crafted by nervous politicians who fear Trump's second term more than they fear institutional collapse.
That's why Stephen A. Smith's "How dare you" moment matters far more than his usual noise. A man who often feels like the soundtrack of American overreaction briefly sounded like a guardian of something older and steadier.
Smith reminded Kelly and anyone else who cared to listen that influential people shouldn't toy with the loyalty of those who stand between the country and chaos.
When the broken clock chimes on time, grownups ought to listen.
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