I'm with you there, but maybe you're reading too much into what some are writing. PHL has really good O&D, especially for international traffic. That's reason enough to keep it around if the feds don't interfere. It would be the obvious substitute for IAD if push comes to shove with keeping IAD. The broader question is what to do if both are kept.
IAD is a better hub for operational reasons. PHL still makes a fine O&D-heavy airport, and focusing more on point-to-point there would probably be profitable. That might shrink operations there somewhat, but that would probably pay dividends in fewer delays, and happier pax.