Hegseth’s Hearing Showed Standards Matter, Just Not for Him
The Defense Department nominee appears to be on a glide path for confirmation — despite his lack of qualifications.
How high is the bar?
Photographer: Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesIn Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a loyalist who will seek to remake the American military in the image of MAGA. During a four-hour confirmation hearing, Hegseth, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and former Fox News host, framed the current military as overrun by unqualified weaklings who have sacrificed the readiness and lethality of the world’s best fighting force on the altar of their woke agenda.
Sounding every bit like the partisan he has been on television and in several books, Hegseth and his GOP allies railed against Democratic presidents, the left-wing media, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives, critical race theory and suggested that women’s presence in combat forces might mean lowered standards. Hegseth pledged to remake the supposed substandard ranks of men and women even as he failed to demonstrate his own qualifications for the job.