Our new Secretary of Defense

Would you have voted for Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense? What were his qualifications – other that he was on Fox?  Hegseth is a Princeton graduate where he was a seldom used basketball player under John Thompson III. He served in the National Guard, was a major and awarded a Bronze Star for combat in Iraq. Before joining Fox he was the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America where he had a less than distinguished record. Trump had considered Hegseth as Veteran Affairs administrator during his first term but selected someone else. It was somewhat of a surprise that Trump nominated Hegseth to be defense secretary, given the importance of the position. But the nomination was consistent with Trump’s desire to shake up the Federal bureaucracy. The military had morphed from being aa lethal force to one seemingly more concentrating on social justice and a staunch advocate of military readiness and one opposed to DEI and wokeness had to be Trump’s nominee. Hegseth fits that bill.

Obviously, his lack of bureaucratic experience was going to be questioned. Here is what Mitch McConnell said when he opposed the nomination.

“Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests. Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test.”

Susan Collins also voted against Hegseth on the grounds of lack of managerial experience saying:

“The next Secretary of Defense will be responsible for managing a massive bureaucracy that includes nearly three million employees and a budget of nearly $850 billion. In addition, our next Secretary faces long-standing procurement and supply issues that continued to worsen under the Biden Administration.

In sum, the Secretary is going to be facing a number of incredibly complex problems that are going to require highly skilled management ability. I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties. His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results.”

I disagree with McConnell and Collins. If managerial experience in a large enterprise is essential for such a position, then why was Joe Biden president of the United States? Biden had no such experience yet was in charge of managing perhaps the largest enterprise in the world – the US government. Also what do McConnell, Collins and most other senators know about enterprise management? Do they have any managerial expertise? Hardly. Both McConnell and Collins are career politicians. McConnell voted against Hegseth because he hates Trump and this was one easy way to show it. Collins voted against Hegseth because she has to maintain a veneer of independence from Trump for her Maine constituents.

Senators expressed concern over Hegseth’s voiced opposition to women in combat roles. Again Susan Collins:

“I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military.”

Two women senators who were veterans split on Hegseth. Joni Ernst voted for him. Here is her statement:

“After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense. Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense. As I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.” 

Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs as a helicopter pilot in Iraq most vehemently opposed Hegseth’s nomination. She was particularly incensed that Hegseth had once said that women were allowed in combat roles only because the military had lowered its standards.

“Every day, our servicemembers follow the Soldier’s Creed as we ask them to leave their families, walk into enemy fire and be ready for the mission until their very last breath. How can we ask these warriors to train to the absolute highest standard, if we confirm a guy who is asking us to lower the standard to make him Secretary of Defense? The very idea that Pete Hegseth is the person to lead our heroes is an insult to the troops who sacrifice so much for the rest of us.”

Still other senators used the excuse of voting against Hegseth because of the allegations of sexual assault, marital infidelity and excess drinking. Tim Kaine was especially keen on these points questioning Hegseth heatedly about his infidelity in his three marriages. Hegseth admitted that he was not perfect but had found Jesus and was a saved soul. Personally, I would have voted against Hegseth because anyone who has had three marriages obviously has questionable judgment.

Georgia’s Raphael Warnock, an ordained minister was particularly critical of Hegseth’s morality saying:

“As a voice for Georgia’s nearly 100,000 active duty service members and reservists, and as the son of a veteran, I understand the tremendous sacrifice our service members and their families make to protect and serve our nation. 

Allowing someone to lead the Department of Defense who has repeatedly shown a poor moral compass would dishonor those who give so much to keep our nation safe. And I fear confirming a deeply unqualified nominee would unnecessarily put Georgia service members in harm’s way.

First off, it is amazing that there are 100,000 active duty service members in Georgia. Second, Warnock’s own moral compass has been askew. His ex-wife accused him of driving over her foot. He was also accused of leaving his children in the care of others when he had custody of them. He was also accused of mismanaging campaign funds. Warnock is also staunchly pro-abortion. During a debate with Herschel Walker, Warnock talked about a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body and Walker corrected him saying that it was not the woman’s body but that of the baby insider her that needed protecting. Thus, Warnock’s own “moral compass” shows that maybe he should not be throwing stones at Pete Hegseth.

In the end, every democrat voted against Hegseth.