+and-then Posted January 25 #1 Share Posted January 25 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-advances-hegseth-as-trumps-defense-secretary-despite-misconduct-allegations He will likely not be the last to be smeared and delayed but with the exception of the two reliably Left-caucusing Republicans Murkowski and Collins, the rest should stay on the reservation and put Trump's nominees through. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl.Of.Trumps Posted January 25 #2 Share Posted January 25 Most excellent. The man is loved by military people, which counts more than the smear tactics the dems threw into the mix. 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted January 25 Author #3 Share Posted January 25 17 minutes ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said: Most excellent. The man is loved by military people, which counts more than the smear tactics the dems threw into the mix. I feel the same. I don't doubt that a vet with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan might have been prone to an unusual level of drinking upon return but I seriously doubt that the guy beat his wives. The ex did not confirm it and I'd imagine that an ex who was actually physically abused would have jumped at the chance to get a little payback. His choice is as close as we can get to the diametric opposite of DEI, IMO. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatetopa Posted January 25 #4 Share Posted January 25 I don't think there was a claim that he beat any of his wives. One claimed to feel unsafe and had a code word for immediate help, but never claimed past violence. Sometimes raging drunks are scary. The military takes a dim view of infidelity though, which he and his spouses admit. He is a Saturday morning TV host, He did not stay in the military and show competence by rising in the ranks. In fact he seems to have mishandled the money of two veterans organizations when he did have some responsibility.. I shared an office with a marine combat engineer who was a brave and lucky man. Every morning we had a cup of coffee together for three years. But even as a brave and patriotic vet he was not qualified to be Sec Def. Hegseth is the epitome of a DEI hire. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted January 25 Author #5 Share Posted January 25 14 minutes ago, Tatetopa said: Hegseth is the epitome of a DEI hire. 17 minutes ago, Tatetopa said: I shared an office with a marine combat engineer who was a brave and lucky man. Every morning we had a cup of coffee together for three years. But even as a brave and patriotic vet he was not qualified to be Sec Def. Hegseth's CV is a bit more extensive than just being brave and patriotic. They don't hand out degrees from Princeton and Harvard without considerable work. He also served in two different locations over in the sandbox. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unusual Tournament Posted January 25 #6 Share Posted January 25 1 minute ago, and-then said: Hegseth's CV is a bit more extensive than just being brave and patriotic. They don't hand out degrees from Princeton and Harvard without considerable work. He also served in two different locations over in the sandbox. I don’t doubt his courage or nationalism, what I do doubt is for the pentagon people to play nice with him. He’s an outsider. In fact everything the pentagon despises. Hagseth has a very aggressive agenda and he’s an outsider. The pentagon will crush him way before he remoulds it 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted January 25 Author #7 Share Posted January 25 5 minutes ago, Unusual Tournament said: The pentagon will crush him way before he remoulds it I think you may be exaggerating their power to impose their will on the boss, especially when Trump will be standing behind him on uh, staffing decisions. ANY commisioned officer can be asked to vacate that commission by the CiC and they have no recourse AFAIK. In short, if his choice for SecDef begins meeting true resistance, that resistance will go before Hegseth does. Add to this the reality that Trump is looking to remove a lot of dead wood, especially the highly political generals whether they push DEI or not. There is a lot of room for force reduction in that particular building and those folks either understand it now or very soon will twig to who's driving the train. Oh, there will surely be lawsuits and such for the entire classes of personnel Trump will be targeting but the military is a different animal altogether in this situation. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatetopa Posted January 25 #8 Share Posted January 25 2 minutes ago, and-then said: Hegseth's CV is a bit more extensive than just being brave and patriotic. They don't hand out degrees from Princeton and Harvard without considerable work. He also served in two different locations over in the sandbox. Agreed, I think AOC is an ivy league grad, but she is also not qualified to be Sec Def. The friend I mentioned was in both theaters. He was blown up, shot, nearly drowned when the Hummer got blown off the road and into the Tigris River. He was a dependable guy, we disagreed on politics, he was a Trump man. But he never drank to excess at a company event or was unfaithful to his wife. He had a very strong code of ethics. I really admired him for that, facing death more than once because he believed it was right. He had a picture above his desk of part of his unit. He cried every year that I knew him on the anniversary of his best friend's death. His biggest regret from Iraq was shooting a 12 year old kid attacking his base with a combat weapon. It bothered him that he had to do it to save his friend, but there was no choice in his mind. He had the ethics and battlefield experience to be Sec Def. But he did not have the other qualifications to hit the ground running. Hegseth has none of that guys ethical strength. This is a most dangerous time, the world is shifting because there is going to be a power struggle. The three top nations plus India at least are going to push each other for position in the herd. I am not worried about mean girl school Pentagon politics, I am worried about having the most powerful weapon system in the world operating at less than 100% , because the Sec Def doesn't know the controls. Replacing everybody with loyal idiots has not worked out so well for the Russian military. I would feel safest if we had a highly trained and qualified person ready to take over the DOD. This is the time for a seasoned executive officer or first officer who knows the score, and how to pull the levers of power. I want a professional not a gifted amateur who will need months if information uptake to catch up. Every month is pivotal right now. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Link of Hyrule Posted January 25 #9 Share Posted January 25 (edited) 1 hour ago, Tatetopa said: Hegseth is the epitome of a DEI hire. Pete Hegseth is a 44 year old straight white male son of a basketball coach of Norwegian ancestry. Which "underrepresented group" does he belong to that qualifies him as a DEI hire? Perhaps you meant a nepotism hire? While related, these terms aren't the same. Edited January 25 by Link of Hyrule 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted January 25 Author #10 Share Posted January 25 15 minutes ago, Tatetopa said: This is the time for a seasoned executive officer or first officer who knows the score, and how to pull the levers of power. Or a general? Austin was an example of what those highly qualified insiders are capable of. TMK we've never had a SecDef that literally just stayed home sick without calling in to report. That agency is the same as most others of such vast size and scope. There are a lot of qualified people who are experts in their mission within the whole. No SecDef is expected to be an expert in every area, just a good leader/manager. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Duck Posted January 25 #11 Share Posted January 25 1 hour ago, Tatetopa said: Agreed, I think AOC is an ivy league grad, but she is also not qualified to be Sec Def. The friend I mentioned was in both theaters. He was blown up, shot, nearly drowned when the Hummer got blown off the road and into the Tigris River. He was a dependable guy, we disagreed on politics, he was a Trump man. But he never drank to excess at a company event or was unfaithful to his wife. He had a very strong code of ethics. I really admired him for that, facing death more than once because he believed it was right. He had a picture above his desk of part of his unit. He cried every year that I knew him on the anniversary of his best friend's death. His biggest regret from Iraq was shooting a 12 year old kid attacking his base with a combat weapon. It bothered him that he had to do it to save his friend, but there was no choice in his mind. He had the ethics and battlefield experience to be Sec Def. But he did not have the other qualifications to hit the ground running. Hegseth has none of that guys ethical strength. This is a most dangerous time, the world is shifting because there is going to be a power struggle. The three top nations plus India at least are going to push each other for position in the herd. I am not worried about mean girl school Pentagon politics, I am worried about having the most powerful weapon system in the world operating at less than 100% , because the Sec Def doesn't know the controls. Replacing everybody with loyal idiots has not worked out so well for the Russian military. I would feel safest if we had a highly trained and qualified person ready to take over the DOD. This is the time for a seasoned executive officer or first officer who knows the score, and how to pull the levers of power. I want a professional not a gifted amateur who will need months if information uptake to catch up. Every month is pivotal right now. However, you need someone that fulfils the role of ensuring civilian control of the military. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatetopa Posted January 25 #12 Share Posted January 25 57 minutes ago, and-then said: That agency is the same as most others of such vast size and scope. There are a lot of qualified people who are experts in their mission within the whole. No SecDef is expected to be an expert in every area, just a good leader/manager. BAM! Hit the nail on the head! That is true, a lot of CEO's of large complex corporations could learn the ropes. Bezos might be better qualified. Forget all about ethics and morality for a bit. Hegseth has not shown himself to be a gifted manager. Maybe because he has chosen to do other things, but his qualities as a competent manager have never been displayed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom1200 Posted January 25 #13 Share Posted January 25 5 hours ago, Link of Hyrule said: Pete Hegseth is a 44 year old straight white male son of a basketball coach of Norwegian ancestry. Which "underrepresented group" does he belong to that qualifies him as a DEI hire? I think you've answered your own question. How many 44 year old straight white male sons of basketball coaches of Norwegian ancestry have there been in the whole history of the USA? Probably a few million? And before now how many of them have become US SecDef? None. Therefore it's high time one is appointed, regardless of merit. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplybill Posted January 25 #14 Share Posted January 25 I’ve been following Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller’s story since his criticism of the Afghanistan withdrawal and his subsequent discharge from the Marines. I was happy to read about his appointment to the Department of Defense. He’s a good man. ”On Monday, Stuart Scheller, a graduate of both Anderson High and UC, announced on Facebook that he'll be joining the Dept. of Defense as a senior advisor with a focus on personnel and readiness.“ https://www.wlwt.com/article/marine-corps-department-defense-cincinnati-stuart-scheller/63486554 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenemet Posted January 25 #15 Share Posted January 25 14 hours ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said: Most excellent. The man is loved by military people, which counts more than the smear tactics the dems threw into the mix. "loved by military people"...? What's your source for this? Military Times doesn't express much confidence or love for him (https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/2025/01/14/hegseths-track-record-falls-short-of-military-standards-dem-senators/) and military officers have expressed many concerns (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/military-officers-worry-pete-hegseth-turn-blind-eye-us-war-crimes-rcna183732) and the Pentagon thinks he's vastly underqualified (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/13/pentagon-hegseth-lack-of-experience-00189424) Military personnel on Reddit aren't expressing any liking or confidence in him (https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/1i1s7pu/hegseth_how_does_the_military_really_feel_about/ ...now, admittedly this isn't everyone. So what sources do you have that say he's really loved by military people? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenemet Posted January 25 #16 Share Posted January 25 14 hours ago, and-then said: Hegseth's CV is a bit more extensive than just being brave and patriotic. They don't hand out degrees from Princeton and Harvard without considerable work. He also served in two different locations over in the sandbox. Princeton only, and his degree was in politics. And lest we forget, his CV also includes being forced to step down from two veterans' advocacy groups over his mismanagement (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hegseth) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unusual Tournament Posted January 25 #17 Share Posted January 25 14 hours ago, Tatetopa said: BAM! Hit the nail on the head! That is true, a lot of CEO's of large complex corporations could learn the ropes. Bezos might be better qualified. Forget all about ethics and morality for a bit. Hegseth has not shown himself to be a gifted manager. Maybe because he has chosen to do other things, but his qualities as a competent manager have never been displayed. In fairness to Hegseth - Trump has made it very clear that his administration will avert wars by using diplomacy with a sprinkle of fear and tariffs to achieve American goals. So Hegseth won’t have as much on his plate as let’s say Austin, which leaves Hegseths job description as one of reorganisation. Could the pentagon do with a clean up and brought into a new war fighting future? I believe so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccr8 Posted January 25 #18 Share Posted January 25 2 hours ago, Unusual Tournament said: In fairness to Hegseth - Trump has made it very clear that his administration will avert wars by using diplomacy with a sprinkle of fear and tariffs to achieve American goals. So Hegseth won’t have as much on his plate as let’s say Austin, which leaves Hegseths job description as one of reorganisation. Could the pentagon do with a clean up and brought into a new war fighting future? I believe so Hi UT He is making threats and putting tariffs on countries that are not at war and have no intention to be in one, he is just playing that he has more clout than he does, it's all a play. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatetopa Posted January 26 #19 Share Posted January 26 5 hours ago, Unusual Tournament said: Could the pentagon do with a clean up and brought into a new war fighting future? I believe so Amen to that. We have a lot to learn from the ingenious Ukrainians about drones and new ways of fighting. Unfortunately from everything I've heard Hegseth lives in a man's world past. He is going to have trouble with recruitment too unless the economy tanks. Limiting who can join will not help. My logic may be faulty, but the reason women and LBGTQ people have taken such important roles is that not enough men were joining in the first place, not because the army went woke. A similar thing happened in WWII when Blacks and women were desperately needed to fill out the ranks. In addition to Hegseth coming in, 160 National Security Council people were sent home. Usually, new people spend a few weeks with the existing personnel to learn the ropes. That would be running it like a business. In this case, it ain't gonna happen. Meantime its not a peaceful world out there. I am sure China is following the advice of their own military expert Sun Tzu, "Never interrupt an enemy when they are making a mistake." Unless you think Trump is playing 4D chess, the great dealmaker is picking on little countries and insulting allies while Putin does his thing and then Trump tells Xi he ought end the war in Ukraine. Doesn't sound like a recipe for a peaceful prosperous world. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl.Of.Trumps Posted January 29 #20 Share Posted January 29 On 1/25/2025 at 1:48 PM, Kenemet said: "loved by military people"...? What's your source for this? Military Times doesn't express much confidence or love for him (https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/2025/01/14/hegseths-track-record-falls-short-of-military-standards-dem-senators/) and military officers have expressed many concerns (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/military-officers-worry-pete-hegseth-turn-blind-eye-us-war-crimes-rcna183732) and the Pentagon thinks he's vastly underqualified (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/13/pentagon-hegseth-lack-of-experience-00189424) Military personnel on Reddit aren't expressing any liking or confidence in him (https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/1i1s7pu/hegseth_how_does_the_military_really_feel_about/ ...now, admittedly this isn't everyone. So what sources do you have that say he's really loved by military people? Ok this is not a lot, but I am not going to try to duplicate your effort ‘Pete’s A Patriot’: More Than 100 Veterans And Supporters Rally For Hegseth’s Pentagon Nomination Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenemet Posted January 29 #21 Share Posted January 29 (edited) 2 hours ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said: Ok this is not a lot, but I am not going to try to duplicate your effort ‘Pete’s A Patriot’: More Than 100 Veterans And Supporters Rally For Hegseth’s Pentagon Nomination I know we're all aware that some support him ("more than 100" isn't that many). But... that's not "the military is completely behind him" scenario that you seemed to provide. Edited January 29 by Kenemet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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