I see your point, which is kind of what I meant about the exception for people that are “just there for the gig”. And I agree that when we take those into account, we have people who are legally required to defend/protect things they don’t personally support. I also think taking those people into account is a different kind of discussion, because then we’re talking about people taking an oath to uphold institutions they don’t believe in for self-serving reasons. Whether or not someone can faithfully do that is an interesting discussion in itself.
My point, ultimately, is it’s entirely possible to defend something you don’t personally support, which in turn would depend on the definition of support. I think it’s stupid and dangerous to entertain such alternative definitions in the broader context of the presidential oath of office. But it’s not inherently silly for a defense attorney to make the argument.
I see your point, which is kind of what I meant about the exception for people that are “just there for the gig”. And I agree that when we take those into account, we have people who are legally required to defend/protect things they don’t personally support. I also think taking those people into account is a different kind of discussion, because then we’re talking about people taking an oath to uphold institutions they don’t believe in for self-serving reasons. Whether or not someone can faithfully do that is an interesting discussion in itself.
My point, ultimately, is it’s entirely possible to defend something you don’t personally support, which in turn would depend on the definition of support. I think it’s stupid and dangerous to entertain such alternative definitions in the broader context of the presidential oath of office. But it’s not inherently silly for a defense attorney to make the argument.